Dragon Quest VI
by Michael2
Summary: A novelization of Dragon Quest VI. After waking up from a horrid nightmare, a boy sets off to find a Spirit Crown for the village festival, which soon leads into a journey of self discovery.
1. Nightmare

I awoke, and we were all gathered around a campfire in some dense woods. The air was chilly, and there was only the sound of little critters inhabiting the forest.

"Are you ready?" asked one of the companions, a tall man with huge muscles.

"Sure," I said.

"Let's do it," said the other companion, a woman with long blond hair.

We walked throuhg the forest. I felt jittery. I knew that this was important, that the fate of the world depended on us. We soon reached the edge of a cliff.

About a mile a way, a huge stone castle can easily be seen.

That was the castle of the demon king Mudo.

"How are we going to get there?" I asked. "Do we climb down?"

"Don't worry," said the woman. "I've got it covered."

She took out this flute and played this tune. Suddenly, this white dragon showed up. We all got onto its back. Flapping its wings, it took us to Mudo's castle.

We landed right at the front door. I drew my sword, knowing that the castle's guards would surely be ready for a fight. We went in through the front.

The entrance chamber was huge, civered with a red carpet. Mudo sure had a pretty good interior decorator, I remember thinking.

But the one thing we all noticed was that it was empty. No guards standing near the gate, not even the castle staff moving about.

Casutiously, we walked along one of the corridors, just in case Mudo set up an ambush for us. After a few minutes, we were out on a terrace and in front of the door leading to the central tower.

"Don't you think this was too easy?" asked the man.

"He must have a trap," added the woman.

I looked at my reflection in my sword's blade, the light coming from the full moon high above us. "Of course it's a trap," I said. "If I were Mudo, I'd set a trap. But we have to go in. My parents are counting on us."

"You're the boss," said the man.

We opened the front door and walked through.

We were greeted by this bright illuminating fog. A shadowy shape was visible in the distance.

"You fools!" said this slightly aristocratic voice. "You do not think I was expecting you? Silly humans. Now you shall be gone!"

I saw my two companions disappear in a puff of smoke.

Then pain.

Intense, intense pain.

It was like my very soul was being split in twain.

And then I felt the hard surface on my face. I looked down, and saw the fine grains of wood.

"Are you all right?" a female voice asked.

I looked up, and found myself in a bedroom. There was a wooden dresser in there. Standing on the wooden floor was this woman with blue hair.

"Tania?" I asked.

"You're finally awake," she said. "you were probably just having a bad dream."

I looked around, feeling safe.

It was good to be home. 


	2. Lifecod

Here I was, back in the good old mountaintop village Lifecod. Already the nightmare I had was beginning to fade. I was here, at home, with my sister Tania.

"Oh by the way," she said, "the elder wants to see you."

"Okay," I said. I immediately headed out the front door, greeted by a bright beam of sunlight.

The elders house was a couple of yards away, on the summit of the mountain on which Lifecod was built. Immediately upon entering the elder's house, I was greeted by this red-haired girl. She was Judy, the elder's daughter.

"Hi," she said.

"Your dad wanted to talk to me about something," I said.

"That's right," said the Elder of Lifecod, a graty haired man with a beard.

"Would you like me to let you two talk alone?" asked Judy.

"Oh no, my dear," replied the elder. "This isn't a private matter."

"What do you want, Elder?" I asked.

"As you know, tonight's the Spirit Festival and we need a Spirit Crown. A woodworker in Shiena - his name is Bilte- has been making Spirit Crowns for us for years. What I want you to do is to take a bag of our homemade goods and go down the mountain to Shiena and sell them to raise enough money to buy the Spirit Crown. There's a bazaar going on there, so you should be able to find a buyer. Ifg you have leftover money, you can use it to buy a Wing of Wyvern and just fly back here."

"Here's the bag of goods," said Judy, handing me a leather sack full of clothes and stuff made right here in Lifecod.

"Very good. Here is a map of Shiena. I marked the spot where the sculptor of the Spirit Crown lives. Make sure to be back, okay?" said the elder.

"Yes, sir," I replied, taking the map.

I immediately headed out, hauling the bag of goods.

"What's going on?" asked Tania. "What did the elder want?"

"I'm going down to Shiena to trade these for the Spirit Crown," I said.

"Get backj safely, brother."

And so I left Lifecod and walked down the mountain path. Just a few yards from Lifecod, I saw this blond-haired boy.

"Hi, Rand," I said.

"Oh, what's up?" he asked.

"Elder asked me to go to Shiena to pick up the Spirit Crown."

"Uh, how's Tania doing?"

"She's doing well. Have a safe trip."

And so I left Rand, heading down the path to the base of the mountain. As I was walking, I wondered if I had left Lifecod before. I must have, after all I was seventeen and surely I must have gone down the mountain with Tania or Rand.

But I rtried the recall the last time I went on a trip down the mountain and I couldn't remember.

Suddenly something hit me. I looked and saw some spotted slimes!

The mountain path had some dangerous wildlife. Fortunately I packed a cypress stick and started jabbing at the spotted slimes. Sooj the spotted slimes were vanquished. I then continued by journey down the mountain.

The mountain had severeal tunnels dug into it, and the path went through the tunnels. The tunnels were dark, with the only light from torches.

After about half an hour I finally emerged at the bottom of the mountain. Ahead was a flat expanse of land. I looked at my compass. Shiena was south of here, and so I continued along the path. I soon reached a painted wooden sign.

Shiena 4 miles

Reidock 11 miles

It took me another half hour before I reached Shiena.

ooooooooooooo

Even from a distance, the bazaar at Shiena can clearly be seen. Colored pennants were hung between the stone buildings. The streets were paved with stone. Hundreds of people were walking about.

The bazaar was held in the town square. The town square was larger than Lifecod itself! There were so many people hdere, so many merchants calling for people to buy their wares. The number of people here was at least ten times the entire population of Lifecod!

I must have seen such huge crowds of people before, and yet I can not remember the last time I did. Looking around the town, it did not look familiar to me, so this was probably my first time in Shiena.

"Over here!" yelled one of the merchants standing at one of the stalls.

"Yes?" I asked.

"You from Lifecod?"

"That's right."

"Show me your goods."

And so I did, revealing the colored clothes that were hand woven in the village's textiles.

"I'll give you three hundred gold for this," said the merchant, a man wearing a turban and baggy pants.

"Okay," I said, taking the gold. I then looked at the map. Walking along the streets busy with foot and wagon traffic, I soon reached the house.

Knocking on the door, this woman answered.

"You must be from Lifecod," she said.

"Yeah, that's right?" I said. "I'm here to buy the Spirit Crown. Is Bilte here?"

"My father? He went to the woods to the west to gather wood for the Spirit Crown," she said. "He's been gone since yesterday and I'm really worried."

"The Spirit Festival's tonight," I said. "I can't wait for him."

"Then could you go look for him please? I'm really worried."

"Okay," I said. I immediately left town and headed west. I was a little annoyed at this delay. Maybe the dude was taking a nap. I crossed a bridge and followed the dirt road to the west. I noticed that there were no signs or anything.

I hoped the sculptor did not get lost.

After an hour of walking, I soon spotted some woods. I ran over there.

"Hello!" I yelled. "Is anyone over here? Hello?"

"Help me!" yelled this voice.

"Where are you?" I called out.

"Over here!"

I ran and saw someone hanging over the edge of a cliff! I looked and I saw the ground a long way below - at least thousands of feet. Something did not make sense.

"I'll pull you up!" I yelled. "Grab my hand!"

And so I grabbed him and pulled him up with all my might.

But then I slipped and fell.

I soon touched ground. It was a softer landing than I expected.

I immediately looked up to see where I fell from. But all I saw was the blue sky.

"What the hell?" I asked. I obviously fell off a cliff, so why could I not see where I fell from?

I looked at my surroundings. I could see some buikldings near the horizon. I fugured there must be a town west of Shiena.

It took me a good ten minutes to reach the town. A signpost identified it as Torukka. I had never heard of the place, and I am positive I have never been here.

I should stay calm. All I had to do was ask how to get to Shiena. There was a bazaar there, so someone here should know.

I went to the inn. Several people were drinking at the bar. I approached the lady at the counter.

"Excuse me," I said. "I'm a traveler heading to the bazaar in Shiena. Could you tell me how to get there? I'm kind of lost."

The woman behind the counter did not respond.

"Did you hear me, miss?" I asked. "I'd like to know how to get to Shiena from here."

She still did not respond.

I decided to ask someone who would hopefully be a little more polite. "Sir?" I asked. "Would you hapopen to know how to get to Shiena. There's a bazaar there and I want to do some shopping."

The man did not respond.

"Hello?" I asked. "I just need to know how to get to Shiena."

I then approached someone else. I asked them where Shiena was.

And they did not answer.

"What the hell?' I asked. "Why is everyone ignoring me. Do I have to stab someone to get attention!"

It was then I saw a mirror. It reflected the inn's pub. I could see the customers with their beers and the bartender serving them.

I could not see my reflection.

It could only mean one thing.

I was lost.

I was dead. 


	3. Ghost?

I stood around in shock at my current situation.

I had fallen off a cliff. I thought I was okay, until I arrived in this town called Torukka and discovered that no one can see me. I could not even see my own reflection in the mirror.

I looked and saw this cross on top of a building; it must be a church. I immediately walked over to the church. I saw the priest standing behind the altar, dressed in his robe and miter. I was hoping that he can help me.

"Hello," I said. "Excuse me, I seem to be dead."

"Is that you, God?" asked the priest.

"who me?" I asked.

"I don't see anyone in front of me. Is that you, God?"

I walked out of the church. It seemed no one in this town could help me.

I looked around, as the people of Torukka went about their ways. I over heard some snippets of conversation, such as talk of a mafgical mirror of some sort; I wondered if I would be visible to such a mirror. I could not help but wonder what really did happen to people after they die. What if there was no Heaven? Or Hell? What if the dead simply wandered around like ghosts?

I saw two kids playing by the town's well.

"I'm tired of havin go to play around here," said this boy. "My mom is always making me study."

"I agree," said a girl. "Next time, we should go north and play by the Well of Dreams."

Well of Dreams? It sounded promising.

So I headed out of Torukka towards the north. At least my compass was working, despite my current condition.

After walking a few miles along the coastline, I saw this building in the distance, with tall mountains rising behind it. I walked up to it, and I took a closer look. It was a simple wooden structure; just foiur walls and a roof and there probably wasn't even a foundation. It looked primitive even for Lifecod.

I did notice a crude hand-painted wooden sign just a few feet before the door.

Danger - Do Not Enter

I decided to just open the door and walk inside. After all, I was dead, was I not?

The building had just one room. The floor was simply dirt. I could smell this musty smell. There was nothing in the room except a well.

There weas this sdtrange green glow.

I hesistated for a moment. What if I ended up trapped in Hell forever?

I took a look at the well. The light was drawing me in.

I felt weightless for just a brief moment before feeling the ground push against my feet again.

The first thing I noticed was a change in smell, like the air was cleaner. Even before I looked and saw the trees around me, I knew I was outdoors.

I was now in this clearing in the forest where this well stood.

I wondered where I was as I wandered through the woods. Was I visible again?

I came across a road, heading away from the setting sun. I then came across a road sign.

Shiena 5 miles

I followed the road for the next hour or so, retracing my steps, until I finnaly reached Shiena.

The bazaar was still as busy as ever, even though it was almost sundown. Merhcants were still at their booths, yelling about their goods for sale. I saw a woman standing at the item shop counter and approached her.

"Hi there," I said. "Can you see me?"

"What kind of pickup line is that?" she asked.

I was visible. I was alive!

Maybe I could pikc up a Spirit Crown. I headed for Bilte's in the northeast section of Shiena.

Inside I saw a man, the same men I saved from falling. That seemed like ages ago. He must have been Bilte.

"I'm making this crown in memory of the man who gave his life for me," said the scupltor.

"Hi there," I said.

Bilte turned and looked at me. His face suddenly paled.

"You're...you're a ghost," he said.

"No, I'm really here." I extended my hand to him. He grabbed it.

"You.. you're alive."

"For now."

"But how?"

"It is a very long story."

"He was here earlier today," said his daughter. "He was from Lifecod and he came here to pick up the Spirit Crown."

"Take this, then," Bilte said to me. "Thank you for saving my life."

He handed me something and I saw this finely-carved wooden crown.

"Thanks for making this for my village," I said. "And remember, try to watch your step next time."

"I will," replied Bilte.

As I walked outside, I saw people suddenly flying into the air. They must be using wings of wyvern, the fastest form of personal transportation anywhere in the world. Since I still had money left over, I decided to do some shopping. I waited in line for a while, and then I bought a World Map and a wing of wyvern. I glanced at the map, illuminated by the street lanterns which were just being lit, trying to find out where I had fallen into that strange world.

I then looked to the north. Even from here, I coiuld see the mountain on which sits Lifecod village. And I coukld see lights on top - the lamplighter must be lighting the lanterns now.

I threw the wing of wyvern into the air and I zoomed high into the sky. Less than a minute later, I found myself a few yards from Lifecod.

I immediately headed into the village and went to the Elder's house.

"Oh hi there," said the Elder. "Did you get it?"

"Yes, sir," I said. "Here's the Spirit Crown." I showed the wooden crown Bilte gave me.

"The festival's in an hour. And guess what? Tania will be the star in the procession."

"Really?" I asked. "That's great, Elder!"

"Were there any problems getting the Spirit Crown?"

"Not really, sir."

I walked back home. Tania was not there; she was probably with her friends getting ready for the festival. Girls did take quite a while to prepare for parties and stuff. Anyway, I waited inside as I prepared myself. I was sure I would know when the festival would start. 


	4. The Spirit Festival

The festival started about an hour after sundown. The entire village, except for the watchmen, were gathered in the center. The Spirit Festival honored the mountain spirit who protects Lifecod. Everyone, understandably, was wearing their best clothes. I myself wore an outfit making me look like a young nobleman or prince.

"Enjoying the festival?" asked Rand.

"Uh, sure," I said.

"Tania's gonna be the star of the procession. I'm sure this will be better than last year's festival."

"I hope so," I said. I started thiniing about last year's Spirit Festival.

I could not remember it.

I searched my memories, but I could not recall being at last year's Spirit Festival.

"Is there something wrong?" Rand asked me.

"Uh, no," I replied.

"Tania's coming out."

I looked toward the Elder's house and a little boy came out. Tanbia was following him. She was adorned in this white dress with a flower in her hair. She never looked so beautiful before. I watched as Tania and her escorts walked from the Elder's house to the Lifecod church. A few of the villagers made comments about how beautiful Tania looked.

Rand and I went into the church after Tania and company entered. The church's wooden pews were packed. There was no room for either Rand or me to sit.

The priest stood at the altar, dressed in his robe and miter.

"We, the people of Lifecod, here give thanks to God Almighty and His servant the mountain spirit, for protecting our humble village and providing us with all our needs," said the priest.

Then Tania bowed before the priest and the he placed the SpirirtCrown on his head. Everyone clapped.

"May we continue to receive His blessings. Amen."

"Amen," we all said.

Suddenly, the lights dimmed. For a minute I thought the lamplighter did not put enough oil into the church's lamps.

Then this ghostly image of a woman appeared.

She called out my name.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I know you have been to the world below," said the voice. "You must beginb your journey to find your true identity."

Then she disappeared and the lights went on again.

"What was that?" asked Rand. "anbd what did she mean about your true identity."

Everyone in the church started looking at me.

"Brother," Tania said to me. "Who was that?"

"I don't know," I replied.

"Has anything strange happen to you?" asked the Elder.

"Yes," I said. "It happened earlier today when I went to get the Spirit Crown. The sculptor wasn't home when I got to Shiena, and his daughter told me he went to the woods to the west..."

"Tell me about it in my house," said the Elder.

And so the Elder and I went to his house. I explained everything, about falling off the cliff, my experiences in that town, and looking into the Well of Dreams.

"So you have been to the phantom world," said the Elder.

"Is that what it's called?" I asked.

"I have heard rumors of a phantom world where people from here are invisible. Apparently you've been there."

"You believe me, sir?"

"If you had told me before the festival I would have thought you were joking or perhaps ate hallucinatory mushrooms. But after what happened in the church, there's probably a connection."

"I think I should go on a journey to find out more about this phantom world."

"I'm going to give you a pass," said the Elder. "It will allow you to enter the capital of Reidock- that is the kingdom that rules over this village. The capital is south of Shiena."

"Thank you, Elder," I said, taking the pass. The pass was clearly printed, and it had some sort of seal on it.

"You are a man now," said the Elder. "You must do what you feel is right. I wish you well."

"I appreciate that, sir."

I left the Elder's house. Just a few yards away, I saw Rand talking to Tania.

"I want to ask you this," said Rand. "Tania, will you marry me?"

"Rand," said Tania. "I...I'm not ready for that."

I listened more carefully.

"Tania," said Rand, "we've known each other for the longest time, and I can see you growing into a beautiful, kind-hearted woman. I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"I...I can't right now. I just have to sort things out. You understand, right?"

"I guess so."

"Have a good night, Rand," she said.

Abnd then she went home.

Rand was clearly disappointed, I decided not to talk to him for the moment. I mingled among the crowd. I overheard stuff about the phantom world and about the demon king who was fighting a war with Reidock.

Finally, the festival was over as the people went to their homes to sleep. I decided to get some sleep; I would need a good rest for my trip to Reidock tomorrow morning.

oooooooooooooo

I dreamt about my life in Lifecod. I remember getting into some sort of argument with Rand. He seemed to have a problem with me living in Lifecod. When I awoke the next morning, I could still remember.

"Are you leaving today?" asked Tania as she ate breakfast.

"Yes," I said. "I'll use a wing of wyvern to go to Shiena, and then just walk to Reidock.

After breakfast, we went to the item shop to pick up a wing of wyvern. I made sure to equip a club and wayfarer's clothes.

"Take care, brother," said Tania. "Make sure to come back."

"I will," I replied. I gave my sister a hug.

I then threw the wing of wyvern into the sky, and less than a minute later, I was just outside Shiena. I walked south. Soon I came across a road sign.

Reidock - 6 miles

I continued south as I walked acorss the Reidock countryside, taking in the sights. 


	5. Be All That You Can Be

I had little trouble reaching Reidock Castle. I had encounters with a few monsters, whom I quickly dispatched with my club.

Even from a distance, the capital of Reidock was huge, much larger than Shiena, let alone Lifecod. Most of the buoldings were made of stone.

I walked up towards one of the gates. A guard stood in front.

"Do you have a pass?" he asked.

"Yes," I replied. I gave him the pass, and he looked through it.

"You may enter," said the guard. "We have a lot of folks coming in enlisting in the Army."

I then walked in. I immedaitely noticed all sorts of people in town, either walking or riding in carriages. The streets were wide and paved with stones. This did not surprise me, since this was after all the kingdom's capital.

Talking to the people living in thge city, I heard that Reidock has been at war with Mudo's troops. I also heard that Mudo always manages to escape whenever Reidock's troops catch up to him.

The castle itself was huge, a massive fortified stone structure, and was clearly the centerpiece of the city. It looked familiar. It was possible that I visisted the castle during a field trip, but I could not remember going on any field trips to Reidock Castle. Maybe I was very young at the time, and the memories have faded.

I saw a wooden sign just a few yards before the castle's entrance. It was a recruitment sign, asking people to enlist.

I thought it over for a few minutes. I then decided to join. I was on a quest to find my true identity, whatever that was, and I figured I could be all I could be.

I approached the guard at the gate.

"I saw the sign," I said. "Is this where I join the Army?"

"You mat eneter once the church bell chimes," said the guard. "We've a lot of people coming in to enlist."

I took a walk around the city, familarizing myself with the layout. It did look familiar to me. I definitely visisted this place before. But when?

I walked inside the church. It was empty except for the priest on duty and this young man.

"Couild you hurry up?" asked the man. "I have to be somewhere soon."

"Be patient, my child," replied the priest.

Then I heard the church bell ring. The young man walked out the church. It was time for me to go, so I left the church and walked back to the castle.

And so I went to the first floor lobby of the castle. Another guard told me to go to the second floor where all the recruits were gathering. As I went to the second floor, I noticed it looked familiar.

Over a dozen young men were gathered on the second floor lobby of the castle. Uniformed soldiers watched over us. I figured we woulkd sign up, and then join a caravan to take us to where new recruits are trained. I saw the young man from the church here; he was obviously a recruit.

"Attention!" yelled one of the soldiers. "General Soldi will be addressing you."

We all stood tall and straight as we could. A man in his larte forties with blond hair walked in. He had all sorts of decoarations on his uniform.

"Welcome volunteers," he said. "I am General Soldi, supreme commander of the Reidock Royal Army. I am glad to meet all of you new, eager recruits. To prove your worth, you must pass a test. You are to go south, to the Tower of Trials. There is an item there you must retrieve."

"What is it?" asked one of the recruits.

"That is for you to find out. Soldiers must be fit in both body and mind. Now go!"

"Yes, sir!" we all said.

And so I headed south out of Reidock Castle. I was a bit surprised by this induction method. I thought the Army would ship us to a camp in the middle of nowhere and have drill instructors yell at us for the next few weeks. Aby way, about half an hour after leaving the castle, I could see a tall stone tower rising in the distance.

That must be the Tower of Trials. I was there before I knew it.

A guard stood at the entrance to the tower.

"This is the Tower of Trials," he said. "Good luck."

Holding my club, I stepped into the tower.

It was a fairly simple tower corridors and rooms. I noticed tiny spikes covered parts of the floor, so I avoided the spikes.

Suddenly, I was ambused by some monsters. They appeared to be dogs brandishing bows; I guess the Army had trained monsters inn the tower to do battle with recruits. I dodged the arrows and then bashed those dogs with my wooden club. Soon I had those monsters beaten.

I continued up a flight of stairs. Walking along a hallway, a soldier stoof in the way.

"You must beat me if you are to pass," said the soldier.

And so we engaged in a fight. The soldier had this mean axe and I had to do some fancy footwork in order to avoid being cleaved in two. I cast the spell Sap on him to lower his defense.

I saw an opening, so I bashed him with the club. I soon had him on the ground.

"Okay, okay!" yelled the soldier. "You can pass now!"

And so I did. I went through a door to the balcony. Waling along the balcony, I went through another door into the tower's interior.

I suddenly found myself being moved. I then noticed that the floor had these arrow tiles on them. Stepping on the arrow tiles and looking at the floor, I noticed I shifted to where the arrow was pointing.

I looked over the floor and did some geometry problems in my head to figure which tile to step on to continue onward. It took a few minutes for me to figure it out.

I stepped on one of the tiles, and was pushed around the floor. I ended up ion the center of the room, surrounded by the arrow tiles. I then stepped on another tile, and again was pushed along the floor. I looked and saw a clear pathway to the stairs, so I walked up.

Coming out on a blacony, there was a gap. I could jump to the ledge below. I braced myself and leaped down.

I saw another of the recruits.

"Huh?" he said. "I feel as if we met before."

"It must have been back at the castle when the general was addressing us," I said.

"Oh yeah. Anyway, time for me to get the item."

And so I continued. Heading into the tower interior, a soldier addressed me.

"Three people will tell ytou where to go," said the soldier. "But only one is telling the truth."

"Uh, sure," I said.

And so I spoke to the three people in front of the three doors.

"There's nothing behind me that you want," said this man on the left door. "The third door is what you want."

"Don't go any further, young man," said this old man standing in front of the middle door. "You'll just get hurt."

"You can believe me," said this woman standing in front of the right door. "The only of of us telling the truth is the man on the far left."

I stood there, trying to figure this out. If the man on the left was telling the truth, then the other two were lying and I take the door on the right. This would mean that I would not get hurt if I took the middle door, and that the man on the left was ...was lying?

That made no sense, so the man on the left was lying. If the man on the left was lying, then there was something behind him that I wanted. The right door was the left door!

So I headed into the left door and climbed the stairs. It led to the balcony at the very top. I could see Reidock Castle, and even farther ahead, the mountain where Lifecod stands.

A soldier stood in front of the door leading to the top chamber.

"Congratulations on making it this far, recruit," he said. "I am your final challenge."

"Let's get it on then," I said, brandishing my club.

I cast Sap to slow his defense. He then took a swing at me with that axe, which I just barely avoided.

I suddenly fell to the ground; he must have tripped me. I rolled away to avoid being killed.

This was insane, I thought. They shouldn't be trying to kill their recruits!

This guy was better than the last. He managed to block a few of my blows with his shield that had this skull emblem on it. I used my own buckler to block some of his blows. It was a pretty intense fight.

He then tried to kick at my legs agaiin, hoping to trip me. I barely avoided it, saw an opening, and then I pummeled him with my club.

"I yield!" he yelled. "You win! In that room is a treasure chest. Open it and take it back to the general."

I headed into this small room, smaller than my house in Lifecod. I opened this wooden treasiure chest and there was this jewel shaped like a broken heart. I headed out to the balcony and threw the Wing of Wyvern into the air. Minutes later I was back in Reidock Castle.

I met General Soldi on the second floor balcony.

"You are the first to return," he said. "What have you brought for me?"

"Is this the item, sir?" I asked.

"Yes, it is recruit. You have won. Now, by the authority vested to me by the Crown, I hereby appoint you as a soldier in the Royal Army of the Kingdom of Reidock! Welcome, soldier."

I stood up and saluted the general. "I won't let you down, sir."

"I grant you leave for the rest of the day," said Soldi. "You may stay in the common areas of the castle, or you may go out to town. Just be back by morning. I do not look kindly on those who go AWOL."

"Yes, sir."

I decided to explore ther vastle. As I did, it felt familiar, a lot more familiar than I should, considering I just got here today. I did hear some news from the guards and the castle staff. There was more talk about the war with Mudo, and I did hear the king never sleeps. I thought that was inhumanly possible.

In the castle courtyard was this old man standing in front of a covered wagon.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"This wagon hasn't been used in a long time. You see, we don't have a horse."

"That doesn't make sense," I said. "How could the king not have a horse for his wagon?"

"It would mean a lot to me and the king if we had a horse."

"Maybe there's something I can do," I said.

I left the castle and headed into town. Maybe there was a horse dealer somewhere.

"Hello there," this male voice cried out.

I looked towards the castle gate, and I saw this young man coming out. I remembered meeting him back at the Tower of Trials.

"I was one of the recruits," he said.

"I know," I replied. "The castle doesn'ty seem to have any horses to pull the wagon, and I was goona see if I can get one."

"Listen, you're going to need my help," he said. "If you will accept."

"Sure," I said. I felt as if I met him before the Tower of Trials. I introduced myself and told him I was from Lifecod to the north.

"My name is Hassan," he said.

"And where do you hail from?"

"I...I don't know. How about we go about finding a horse."

"Sure," I said.

Hassan and I both went to the inn. The Watyfarer's Inn in Reidock was busy, as this was the capital. We starrted asking where we could get a horse, hopefully cheap.

"You know, I had an encounter with this horse in the woods a few miles west of the castle," said this merchant, whio was probably traceling either to or from the bazaar in Shiena. "That horse was a wild one. Couldn't tame him."

"Thanks," I said.

"This is a great opportunity for us," said Hassan. "If we can tame this horse, we can get it for free. Who can trust a horse dealer these days anyway."

"You're right, Hassan," I said. "To the western woods!"

And so we headed out of town towards the west. 


	6. Hi Ho Falshion Away!

Hassan and I walked westward from Reidock Castle, following a tip that a wild horse was roaming around in a clearing in the woods.

"You know," said Hassan, "I can't help but feel that I've met you before."

"We met at the tower," I said as we crossed a bridge over the river.

"No, like we've met before then."

"Ever been to Shiena?"

"Yeah," he said. "There's a bazaar there."

"Maybe we ran into each other there before." As I glanced at Hassan, I noticed that he certainly looked familiar. It is possible that I had visted previous bazaars in Shiena, except I could not remember ever setting foot in that town before yesterday. I kept pondering where I had seen this young man before.

"Here we are," he said.

I looked around and before us was a clearing in the woods, while behind us was dense forest. A crude hand-painted sign read

Caution- Wild Horse

"So where's the horse?" asked Hassan.

I looked around. I then saw a flash of white.

"Over there," I said. I approached the horse, who had white fur and a fiery red mane. The horse suddenly ran away. I kept coming after the horse, but the horse just kept getting away.

"I have an idea," said Hassan. "If we keep chasing after it, it might run off into the deep woods. But if we can trap it on both sides."

"Good idea," I said.

I went one way, while Hassan went the other way. I could see the horse.

The horse saw me and run in one direction. Then I saw it running in the other direction. We tried to surround the horse, but then the animal managed to slip away.

For a while we thought we lost the horse, but then the horse had run into a dead end, surrounding by steep slopes that it could not climb.

"Okay," said Hassan. "We won't hurt ya."

The horse approached Hassan and extended its snout. Hassan walked around the horse.

"It's domesticated," he said. "Notice the reins."

"Yeah," I said, seeing the reins on the horse. I had been to busy trying to catch it to notice there were reins. This horse must have been domesticated, and got lost or something.

"I think he likes us."

"So you're checking him out, eh?"

"Haha," said Hassan. "We should name him though. How about Falshion."

"Falshion?" I asked. "That's an awesome name." I looked and notice the sun was setting. "Let's get back to the castle before dark."

"Shall we go, Falshion?" asked Hassan. We both led Flashion east towards Reidock Castle.

It was dusk by the time we reached the front gate of the castle.

"Where are you going with that thing?" asked the guard at the front gate.

"We're bringing it to the courtyard," I said.

"You don't expect me to let you bring that animal into the castle?"

"We do," I said boldly.

"I'm going to look the other way," said the guard. "But if that thing soils the floor, we're all gonna share a cell in the dungeon."

"We're just taking it to the courtyard," said Hassan. "It's only a few feet from here."

And so we led Flashion through the front gate and into the courtyard in the center of the castle.

"is that a horse?" asked the old man.

"We found him in the woods to the west," said Hassan.

"Now this wagon could be put to good use."

"What are you two doing?" I heard.

We looked and saw General Soldi.

"Uh, well, sir," said Hassan, "he can explain."

"We noticed that the castle did not have a horse to pull the wagon," I said. "So Hassan and I went and found and tamed a wild horse in the forest. We worked together to catch him."

"I see you are one of the recruits from earlier today," said Soldi.

"Yes, sir, I am," replied Hassan.

"You two have shown that you can work together. Teamwork is very important in His Majesty's Army. Hassan, I am going to appoint you a soldier."

"Yes, sir," said Hassan. "It will be an honor to serve this kingdom."

"Very good. Get some rest you two. Tomorrow morning we will attend a briefing with the king."

"We're meeting the king tomorrow?" I asked.

"It's a very important matter so you'd better be there, or else you'll be spending your enlistment in the dungeon."

"I still have my leave, right, sir?"

"Be back by 0900 tomorrow."

"Okay."

oooooooooooooo

I made sure to purchase a copper sword and a suit of leather armor since I was now a soldier and needed better equipment than a club and wayfarer's clothes. Then using a Wing of Wyvern, I returned to Lifecod that evening.

"Brother," said Tania, greeting me outside the house. "How far have you gone?"

"I've enlisted in the Reidock Royal Army," I said.

"Wonderful."

We went into the house.

"Tomorrow I have to go meet with the king."

"That is such an honor," said Tania.

"Yes, it is. But that could mean I won't be seeing you for a long time. I could be away for weeks or even months."

"Do you think you'll be sent off to combat?"

"If the king himself is brieifing us, it's very important," I said.

"What if...?"

"We'll worry about it if it happens. I have to be back at the castle tomorrow morning."

"Be careful, brother."

oooooooooooo

I had another dream that evening. I was living in Lifecod, and Rand and I were not getting along together so well.

oooooooo

Using the Wing of Wyvern, I returned to Reidock Castle the next morning. Escorted by guards, I was led upstairs to the throne room.

It was a huge room with a single throne. To the left was a door leading to the royal chambers. As I looked around, the whole place looked very familiar. But how could I have been here? TYhere is no way any artist can paint a picutre that looks identical to the real thing, and yet I could feel that I have been here before.

"The king will be with us soon," said General Soldi.

Then some more people went inside. The one person who stood out was this blond-haried man wearing a crown and fancy clothes. He was certainly older than me, but not so old as to be considered old. We all kneeled before our lord and king.

"Arise," said the king, and we did.

"Your Majesty," said Soldi, "how may we serve you?"

"We know of a magical mirror called the Mirror of Ra," said the king. "It has the ability to reveal the truth. In our prior battles with Mudo, he has always managed to slip away when cornered. But if we acquire this Mirror of Ra, we can track him wherever he goes. I have sent a message to the northern border checkpoint to let you pass. Your orders are to search for and retrieve the Mirror of Ra and bring it back to the castle. Dismissed."

"Yes, my lord," we all said.

Soldi apporahced me and Hassan.

"You may use the horse and wagon," said the general. "You two hold great promise."

"We won't let you down, sir," said Hassan.

We went down to the courtyard where the wagon sat.

"The general told me about you two," said the old man.

Hassan and I attached the reins and the yoke to Falshion. We then both sat in the driver's seat, and the horse pulled the wagon out of the castle. Within a ferw minutes, we were out of the city, heading north. We saw a road sign.

Northern Border Crossing 10 Miles

An hour after leaving the castle, we reached the checkpoint on Reidock's northern border. There were some soldiers posted there.

"We got the message from Reidock Castle," said the soldier. "You may pass."

Falshion pulled our wagon through the checkpoint and we continued on, heading north and east.

ooooooooooooo

A few hours after leaving the northern checkpoint, we came across a wooden cabin. I noticed some construction materials next to the cabin.

"What a primitive place," I said. "Who would live in such a hovel in the middle of nowhere?"

"Maybe this fellow living here knows where the Mirror of Ra is located," said Hassan. "Wouldn't hurt to ask."

And so I went upo to the wooden door and knocked. This short man answered.

"Visitors," he said. "What do ye want?"

"Well, sir, we're looking for the Mirror of Ra. It's this magic mirror."

"Have you come to build the extension of the cabin?" he asked. "I've been taking the longest time to build it, what with having to hunt for food and all."

Hassan took a look and the construction materials next to the cabin.

"I can give you a lead if you can help build me cabin," said the man.

"I don't know anything about building things," I said.

"Let me take a look," said Hassan. He looked at all the boards and nails and hammers and stuff. "This is how it's done."

And so Hassan took a shovel and started digging. Hethen started typing logs together and nailing boards. I watched as he did his work.

It was less than two hours later that he managed to finish the structure, which was a shed.

"Woe," I said. "It would have taken two days for most construction crews to build something like that. Where did you learn the trade?"

"I...I don't know," replied Hassan.

"Well, thank you for your assistance," said the man.

"What can you tell us about the Mirror of Ra?" I asked.

"I know nothing about that," said the man.

"Then whaty did I build that shed for?" asked Hassan.

"Hold on," replied the cabin's owner. "To the east in a small sandy area is the entrance to a tunnel leading across the strait. On the other side is a road leading to the Dhama Shrine."

"Dhama Shrine?" I asked.

"A lot of pilgrims go to Dhama Shrine. Perhaps you can find information on this mirror that you are looking for."

"Thanks," I said.

"You're welcome."

So Hassan and I climbed aboard the wagon and Falshion pulled us east. It took only a few minutes before we reached this huge sandy area just about a mile from the coastline.

"So where is this tunnel?" asked Hassan. "I don't see it."

"We'd better take a closer look," I said, getting off the wagon. I walked around, my feet sinking into the sand. I ekpt looking with my eyes, and yet I could not find the entrance to the tunnel.

"Yeaargh!" yelled Hassan.

"Hassan!" I yelled. "Are you all right?"

"i'm down here!"

I looked and I saw that Hassan had fallen down into a pit.

"Looks like I found the tunnel," he said.

And so I went down there with him, leading Falshion with us. I lit a torch.

The tunnel looks like it has not been used, and we were attacked by monsters such as slimes and babbles and baby goyles. I had to cast Heal several times after we took one too many blows from the monsters. Other than that, there was not much to see or do in this tunnel and soon we saw the light.

He emerged onto a grassy plain. We could see the strait in one direction. In the opposite direction was a road, so we traveled eastbound. Soon we came across a wooden sign.

Dhama Shrine 10 Miles

It looked like this would mean that it would be another hour before we reached the Shrine.

"I'm thinking that we should get something to eat," said Hassan. "I wonder what they serve at the shrine."

"I'd eat anything at this point," I said. "I had a really light breakfast this morning. Still, you got to be a lot hungrier after building that shed, and you did a very good job at it."

"Yeah, I did."

Our journey was typical, with just a handful of monster attacks.

And then we came across something.

It was a huge hole in the ground.

"Did we take a wrong turn?" asked Hassan.

"I..I don't know," I said. I peered over the hole and I could see a landscape below. "I think I know that this is."

"What is it?"

And so I explained to hassan what happened when I went to pick up the Spirit Crown.

"That's crazy," he said.

"Well, we might as well jump in and find out."

"No way! You're crazy, man. BNo way I'm going down there."

"Well, there's soimething strange about the world below, but if there's a chance of finding the Mirror of Ra down there, I'm gonna take it! You can follow me or stay behind."

With that, I jumped down to the world below. 


	7. San Marino

After I landed, I looked around. It appeared to be some sort of ruin. I could see broken stone columns.

I heard a thud, so I looked and saw this ghostly figure. I immediately drew my copper sword.

"It's me," said the voice.

I squinted my eyes. Upon noticing the spiky hair, I knew that was Hassan.

"So you decided to join me after all," I said.

"Of course not," he replied. "I got back onto the wagon when Falshion pulled the wagon into the hole. What happened? Are we dead?"

"Not really," I said. "This had happened to me before, and I got back by looking into the Well of Dreams. Anyway, the mirror could be here. It's worth looking around."

We noticed some fellow wandering around the ruins.

"So this is the Shrine of Dhama," he said. "Not much of a place. All the treasure's gone."

"Are you sure?" Hassan asked him.

The fellow turned around, and then shrugged.

"He can't see us," I said.

"Oh," he replied.

We saw some stairs heading to the basement level, so we went down. The treasures were all gone. I did notice a piece of apaper on the ground.

I took it and it was clearly a map. I could see the landforms.

the strange thing is only one small area had any detail. I fiugured this must be the area around the Dhama Shrine.

"Look over there," said Hassan.

I looked and there was a well. It had this strange glow, like the Well of Dreams I had used to leave this world.

"That's our ticket home," I said. "But let's not go back just yet. If we're invisible, we might be able to learn more."

"You mean like watching girls take baths or something."

"That too. Might as well explore. It's not as if we don't get back here in time, the well won't be here."

We hopped onto the wagon and Falshion pulled us south. A few minutes later, we came across a road sign

San Marino 8 Miles

"San Marino," said Hassan.

"Let's check it out," I said.

We continued south towards San Marino. Suddenly, I felt something strike me.

I looked and saw thios green puddle with eyes. That was a babble!

"How could the monsters see us?" asked Hassan.

"Never mind that now," I said, brandishing my copper sword.

We fought the babbles with our weapons. Hassan was very effective with his mallet. Soon the babbles dissolved into the dirt.

"Uggh," I said, suddenly feeling sick.

"Those babbles must have poisoned you," said Hassan. "Here's an antidote herb."

Hassan applied the antidote herb to me. Soon I was feeling much better.

"Thanks, Hassan."

"You're welcome. Anyweay, hoiw did those babbles see us?"

"I don't know. Maybe we can find out more about this strange world once we reach San Marino."

It was over half an hour later that we reached San Marino. It was a large city, about as large as Shiena, and it was right on the coastline. I can see ships in the distance, the city must have a harbor.

Hassan was looking around, with this blank expression on his face.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Uh, nothing," he replied.

And so we went about town, listening to conversations. People talked about work, or their personla lives, or many mundane things.

We did hear something about the Mirror of Ra from this old lady talking to her grandson.

"Tell me about the Mirror of Ra," said the boy.

"The Mirror of Ra is a magical mirror that can reveal the truth," said the lady.

"Would we be visible if we looked into the mirror?" asked Hassan.

"Let's continue exploring this place."

"The docks. Lots of travelers go to and from the docks."

And so we left rhe old lady's house and went to the San Marino docks. It was busy as ever, with sailors and longshoremen handling cargo. There was a ferry terminal where a ferry would take passengers to other parts of this strange world.

I then saw a poster.

Ferry to Reidock - 50G

"Reidock?" asked Hassan. "Isn't Reidock in the other world?"

"That is strange," I replied as we walked through the ferry terminal. "It could be a different place with the same name. Or the ferry could go to the other world. After we're done here, we could take the ferry to wherever it goes."

"But how will we take the ferry if the guy at the rticket counter can't even see us?"

"I can see you," said this voice.

"What the?" asked Hassan.

I looked and I saw this young woman with long blondf hair. She was dressed in this long blue dress.

"You can see us?" I asked.

"I have the ability to see people like you."

"So you've met people from the other world, right?" asked Hassan.

"Yes, I have," said the woman. "They're basically lost dreams. I was a lost dream once. But then I was reunited. Anyway, my name is Muriel."

Hassan and I introduced ourselves to Muriel.

"Pleasure to meet you," said Muriel.

"So how do we become visible again?"

"I know this lady named Granmaz. She can help you become visible. I can lead you to her place; it is just south of here."

"Okay," I said. "Lead the way."

And so Muriel got on the wagon and we headesd south from San Marino even as the sun was setting.

"So what's your story?" she asked.

"We came from this other world," I said. "We're soldiers in the Reidock Royal Army. Our king sent us on a mission to retrieve the Mirror of Ra."

"I see," said Muriel.

"Does this Granmaz lady have the Mirror of Ra?' asked Hassan.

"No," replied Muriel.

Anywaty, we soon came across this solitary house with a well in the front yard.

"I'll let you in," said Muriel, taking a key and unlocking the door.

Hassan and I followed her into the house. In the living room was a desk with an orb sitting on it.

"Hello there," I heard.

We looked and saw this old lady wearing a pointy hat and a robe.Muriel introduced us.

"So you've found them," said the old lady. "My name is Granmaz. I'm a fortune teller."

"Madam, Muriel had told us you can make us visible," I said.

"It is getting late, so how about we rest for the night?" asked Granmaz. "We can discuss the situation tomorrow."

"Thanks," said Hassan. "We really appreciate it."

oooooooooooo

Once again I dreamed about life in Lifecod. There was not much to it, except Rand did not like me much.

The next morning, Granmaz served us breakfast.

"Has being invisible been inconvenient for you?" asked Granmaz.

"Yes, it has," I said.

"I can not make you visible now. You must go sotuh to the Cave of Dream-Seeing, a cave full of spirits."

"That's nice," said Hassan. "A cave full of spirits."

"Anyway," said Granmaz, "in the cave are Dream-Seeing Drops. Bring that to me, and I will use them to make you visible. I won't even charge you anything for that; I need Dream-Seeing Drops for use in some of my recipes. Such a shame the cave is populated with monsters."

"Will those monsters be able to see us?" asked Hassan.

"Some monsters can see you just as Muriel and I can. Here are some medical herbs; you will need it."

"Thank you, madam," I replied.

And so Hassan, Muriel, and I hopped oin the weagon and heades south towards the Cave of Dream-Seeing. 


	8. DreamSeeing Drops

It took about half an hour after leaving Granmaz's before we reached the Cave of Dream-Seeing. I looked at the map.

"Check this out," I said.

"What is it?" asked Muriel, looking at the map.

"This map has more detail than when we last checked it back at the Dhama Shrine."

"You're right, pal," said Hassan. "This must be some sort of magic map."

"Well, then, let us all go into the cave and get those Dream-Seeing Drops. Falshion, wait right here. We'll be back."

And so we entered the cave, which was a huge hole in the ground. I made sure to light my torch so I could see my way around.

However, that torch light attracted monsters like blooming flowers attract bees. Hassan and I had to brandish our weapons to fight off the monsters. The monsters that we did battle with included baby goyles, high mages, slimes, and babbles. Either they could see us because of the properties of the cave, or the ability was inherent.

Anyway, we soon made our way to the lower levels of the cave, where light was filtering in through cracks. There were stalactites hanging from the ceiling and stalagmites sticking up from the floor. Water dripped from the stalactites, often spilling onto the stalagmites.

"Hey!" Hassan yelled.

"What was that?" asked Muriel.

I looked and saw a slime. It was colored idfferently, not red or blue, but a silvery color.

I took my copper sword and swung at it. Amazingly,. the blade did not cut through. Hassan smahed the slime with his big mallet, but apparently the slime was not hurt.

"That thing must be made of metal," said Hassan.

The metal slime suddenly cast this spell, and I was greeted with this blaze of fire. Enraged, I started hacking away at the monster, but I could not even make a scratch. The creature then struck Hassan right in the face.

"Owww!" yelled the warrior. He put his hand to his face and saw blood on it, probably from his nose. "That does it!" He swung at the metal slime with all his might. He swung so hard I could even feel it. I then saw the metal slime dissolve into silvery creature. "Tough nut to crack. Shall we continue?"

And so we continued going further and further into the cave even as we battled monsters. It was a few minutes later that we reached this chamber. It was apparently a peninsula located in an underground lake.

Ahead we can see this metal jar. And there was this creature drinking from the jar.

"That must be the Dream-Seeing Drops," said Muriel.

"Maybe if we just ask for a sample, the creature will just let us be," I said.

"You have a good sense of humor, mate," said Hassan.

So we approached the basin. The creature turned around and looked at us.

"So you want my sweet nectar,"it said.

"You can see us?" I asked. "Well, sir, we just need to borrow about a pint of this stuff. There seems to be plenty for all of us."

The creature seemed to tense up. It was this green fiour-legged creature, with wings on its back. "I'm glad you brought me lunch. I have not had human in a long time."

The creature attacked, and I quickly parried. I then cast Sap on it while Hassan pounded away. When the creature's defense was down, I swung with by copper sword.

As the creature attacked with its tails and claws, it would often cast Upper to raise its defense, so I often had to cast Sap to counter it. Its shapr claws struck us quite a few times, so I had to administer the medical herb to myself or Hassan.

I then saw an opening, and stabbed the creature with my sword. Hassan then followed up with a few well-placed hits from his big mallet.

"ugggh," the creature moaned as it finally went down.

Muriel went to the basin and collected the Dream-Seeing Drops. "We'd better get out of here before sleeping beauty there wakes up," she said.

And so we did, climbing up back to the entrance. When we emerged, I cast Return and seconds later we were in front of Granmaz's.

"You're back before lunch,said Granmaz, standing in front of her humble home. "I see you bnrought the Dream-Seeing Drops."

"We almost became lunch," replied Hassan.

"Come inside."

And so we did. We stood in front of the orb on the desk.

"Now let us make you visible to the world," she said.

So we stood still, as Granmaz anointed us with the Dream-Seeing Drops and chanted. I could feel a tingling.

I saw Hassan glowing, and I looked at my arms and they were glowing.

And then the glowing stopped. Looking at Hassan, he appeared more solid.

"You're back to normal," he said.

"So are you," I replied.

"So that is what you guys look like," said Muriel.

"Thank you, madam," I said. "I appreciate this assistance you gave us."

"And I appreciate you getting some Dream-Seeing Drops for me," replied Granmaz. "Perhaps we will help each other in the future."

"I understand that these two men are on a quest," said Muriel. "I wish to accompany them. I know some useful magic which will surely aid them."

"Go ahead," said Granmaz. "You must follow your heart. There is something special about these two."

"I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to be here," said Muriel. "I'll make sure to come back and visit."

"Take care you three," said Granmaz.

And so Muriel joined us as we boarded the wagon.

"Where are we heading?" she asked.

"We're gonna go to San Marino to catch a ferry to Reidock," I said. I cast Return and we were in San Marino in less than a minute. We made our way to the ferry terminal next to the docks. I went to the ticket counter and bought three tickets for a total price of one hundred fifty gold.

"So why are you heading back to Reidock?" asked Muriel. "you have not gotten the Mirror of Ra yet."

"We're from another world," I said. "We got here by falling through a hole in the ground."

"Amazing," said Muriel.

"I thought he was crazy," said Hassan. "I would have stayed in our world if Falshion had not pulled the wagon into the hole."

"We don't know if the place this ferry will take us is the same place we came from, or simply has a different name," I said. "If the ferry does take us back to our world, then there's obviously more than we know. If the Reidock we're going to is completely different, maybe we can find out something about the Mirror of Ra."

"How do you intend to get back to your world?" asked Muriel. "Hop a ride on a dragon?"

"There's a well in the ruins of Dhama Shrine that can take us back," I said. "I've been to this world before and I got back home through a well with a strange glow similar to the one at Dhama Shrine."

Suddenly, we heard a bell ring.

"The ferry's about to leave," said Hassan. "We should board."

And so the three of us got onto the ferry. Our wagon was loaded into the cargo deck of the ferry. I stood on top of the boat, watching as passengers embarked on the ship.

Then the anchor was pulled up and the ship floated westward out of the port. Soon San Marino disappeared from the horizon, and we were sailing west on the open sea. I stayed on deck, wondering if the ferry would fly up into the sky to take us back to our world.

ooooooooooo

It was a few hours later that we spotted land. I could see a building next to the shoreline where some ships were docked; I figured that was where we were heading.

"Looks like we're almost there," said Muriel.

The ship pulled up to the docks and the anchor was weighed. A gangway was attached to the ship and we all disembarked. We went inside the ferry terminal.

A sign above a door read "Welcome to the Kingdom of Reidock". What I noticed was the flags were identical to the Reidock flags in the other world!

We all had to check in with some official before we could leave the ferry terminal. We then went to pick up our wagon and he headed out. I made sure to look again at the flag, which was definitely the flag for the Kingdom of Reidock in our world.

"Something wrong, mate?" asked Hassan, sitting in the driver's seat.

"I'm not sure," I replied. "I'll hold off on speculating until we get to Reidock." I saw a road sign as we headed west.

Reidock 11 miles 


	9. Return of the Prince?

"We're right back where we started," said Hassan.

I had to agree with him. The capital and the castle looked the same as they did when we first set out on our quest to find the Mirror of Ra. I recognized the inn and the church.

"If you fell from the sky," said Muriel, "how did we get to Reidock?"

"We'd better take a look around first," I said.

And so we entered into the city. This time, there was no guard standing at the entrance asking for a pass.

The city still looked the same as it did before, with streets paved with stones and stone or brick buildings. We walked around town to hear the latest news from travelers.

I learned that the king and queen had been asleep for more than a year.

"How can that be?" asked Hassan. "Last time we were here, the king was awake. In fact, I remember hearing that the king never slept."

I did not have to tell Hassan that something strange was going on, or that it was connected with the fact that we came from a world above us.

"Hey there," I heard someone yell.

I looked and saw this man wearing this horned helmet.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Nothing," he said. "I thought you were the prince."

"Who me?" I asked, flattered by the statement. "Oh, no. You must be mistaken."

"Yeah, I was," he replied. "No way the Prince of Reidock would dress like that."

"So you look like the Prince of Reidock," says Muriel.

"I wonder why no one at the castle noticed that the last time we were here," said Hassan.

We continued walking around town, hearing about the king and queen being ill, the war with the demon king Mudo, and my resemblance to the Prince of Reidock, who has not been heard from in a few weeks. We also heard about a resort town called Amoru, which was to the west, and we heard of a locked tower out in the northwest.

We went to the town's armor shop; I looked and noticed that there were royal clothes in the inventory. I had an idea. Getting the gold coins from my bag, I purchased a set of royal clothes.

"You really do look like a prince," said Muriel, upon seeing me after I dressed up in the royal clothes.

"You gonna go into the castle," asked Hassan.

"Well, yeah," I replied, decked out in these royal clothes. "I've got to find out more why this Reidock resembles the Reidock of our world. I have a hunch, but I'd like to find out more."

We walked to the castle entrance. "Wait for me here," I said. "It's best if I go in alone."

"Sure thing, your Highness," said Hassan.

I walked to the front gate and saw thw guard.

"Your Highness," he said. "You've come back. Have you finished with your quest."

"I wish to enter the castle," I said.

"Certainly, my lord. Welcome home, Prince."

And so the guard opened the gate and I went inside Reidock Castle.

The castle looked the same as it did the last time I was here. It had the same layout,m same interior architecture, and even the same style in carpeting. The guards and the castle staff all gave me a bow when they saw me. Some of them gave me a welcome back.

"The general will be here soon, my lord," said one of the guards. "I am sure you will have a lot to discuss with him."

I decided to go straight to the throne room. The stairs to the throne room were blocked by a guard.

"I can not let you pass, your Highness," said the guard. "It was Prime Minister Geban's orders."

"Where is he?" I asked. "I must speak with him."

"I do not know, my lord. But... General Tom."

I looked and saw General Soldi standing right at the door leading to the balcony.

"What are you doing?" asked the general.

"Sir, Minister Geban said that there will be no access to the throne room."

"Our prince has returned," said Soldi. "Surely you do not think that your orders are to keep the prince out."

"Certainly not, General Tom. My apologies, your Highness."

"That's okay, soldier," I said.

I looked at Tom. He definitely looked identical to Soldi.

The throne room looked the same as it did before when I was first briefed on the mission to retrieve the Mirror of Ra.

"Your Highness," said General Tom. "Have you found the cure for your parents?"

"No, I haven't," I replied. "I am looking for the Mirror of Ra, but I have not found any promising leads."

"It has been a year since your parents were cursed by that demon king Mudo. And there have been many complaints about Minister Geban."

"General, where are my parents?"

"In the bedroom, my lord. Perhaps you wish to visit them?"

I went inside the bedroom next to the throne room. A middle-aged couple was asleep. The man definitely did not resemble the king of Reidock in the other world.

I could hear the queen mumbling. "The mirror," she said. "If only you had the mirror."

"What is going on here?" asked this voice.

We went out to the throne room.

"Minister Geban," said Tom. "Sir, our prince has returned home."

I saw this bald man wearing a suit, accompanied by guards. "You definitely look like our prince," he said. "But we heard from the armor storekeeper that a poor-looking boy bought some royal clothes."

"Sir, you do not mean that this boy here's an impostor?" asked Tom.

"I know you have a younger sister," said Geban. "Only the prince would know. Tell me her name."

"Tania," I said.

"You are an impostor!" yelled Geban. I looked at Tom, and the expression on his face indicated that he believed Geban.

"Sir, I take full responsibility," said Tom.

"Take this impostor away!" yelled Geban.

So the guards thrust me out of the castle faster than a bulimic barfs out a meal.

"What happened?" asked Muriel. "What did you find out?"

"I found out quite a bit," I said. "There's nothing for us here; let us continue."

"That resort town seems promising," said Hassan. "How about we go there?"

And so we hopped into the wagon and left Reidock. 


	10. Dream to the Past

"What did you find out about this place?" asked Hassan as we traveled westward.

"I think I know what this place is, at least to you and me," I said. "This is a parallel universe."

"What would that be?" asked Muriel.

"It's kind of difficult to explain," I guess. "Take a look at the shadows we cast on the ground during the daytime. They look at us, and yet those shadows are different. Same withn parallel universes. This universe is sort of like a shadow of the one we came from. That is why Reidock Castle looks the same here, but some things are different."

"So you come from a universe of shadow?" asked Muriel.

"It's a poor analogy," I said. "But it's really difficult to understand unless you've experienced it like Hassan and I did."

"I don't even understand it," said Hassan.

We then came across a wooden directional sign.

Amoru 14 miles

We then turned and continued along the path to Amoru. The path took us around a mountain range. Along the way, we were attacked by some monsters like giant sheep and these skeletons with chains on their ankles. Muriel knew some healing magic as well as a spell that can impale an enemy with a shard of hard ice.

It was as our shadows were getting long that we came to Amoru.

It was a small town, smaller than Reidock. And yet the place was more crowded. We went to the inn to spoend the night and hear any leads about the Mirror of Ra.

"Sorry," said the innkeeper. "The inn is completely booked."

"You mean there are no rooms available?" I asked.

"That's exactly what it means, kid."

And so we asked the people for some information. We heard that Amoru was famous for its water, which had healing properties. There were concerns that Mudo and his troops might attack the place. We would need a mirror key tyo enter the sealed tower northwest of Reidock Castle. Anbd we heard of two thieves who once went into the northern cave about twenty years ago, and that the only one of them came back. Her name was Gina, and she was staying at the church.

And so we went to the church.

"Hello there," said the priest. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Can you give us a place to sleep?" I asked. "We will compensate you, of course, even if it is a small room with no food service."

"There's a room in the basement," said the priest. "It's small, but it will do."

And so we went into the church's basement. It was stuffy, with wooden barrels standing next to the wall.

"Oh, hi there," said this old lady.

"The priest said we could sleep here, madam," said Muriel.

"That's okay," said the old lady, who went upstairs.

"Nice place," said Hassan, rubbing some dust off the surface of the barrel.

"We might as well catch some sleep," I said. "We need to find this mirror key."

And so we did. We had a very long day, and it was not even a minute before I was asleep.

oooooooooooooo

We all woke up sometime later. A man was standing by the door.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"The priest said we could spend the night here," replied Hassan.

"I don't remember him mentioning anything like that. Oh well, I guess he's busy."

And so we left the church, and our ears were greeted with a scream.

"The river!" yelled someone. "It's turned to blood."

We went to the stream that ran through the town, and sure enough, it was red. I wondered if it were blood or if some red clay simply fell into the river.

"We'd better go check it out," I said.

Hassan and Muriel nodded in agreement. We went north of the town towards a smal lcave where the river flowed out of.

Inside the dark cave, we saw this woman, dressed in a suit of armor, standing by the river, still flowing red.

"I can't wash it off," she said. "I killed him. I killed him."

Wondering what happened, we continued further down the cave.

The cave was, not surprisingly, populated with monsters. Muriel's Upper spell did wonders in softening the blows that we received from these beasts. the monsters included these little bat-like creatures brandishing pitchforks, little green guys who held wooden staves and cast spells, and tiny little birds. There were even these tiny knights riding on slimes! And, of course, we encountered those metal slimes who were very frightened of us, as they almost always ran away.

We gathered some treasures laying about, including a bladed boomerang and this small medal. We then went down to this underground lake were there were wooden logs floating on the surface. It was apparent that we had to float on the logs. So we all hopped on one of the logs. It was carried with the current and we eneded up in another part of the cave. We went up, and after walking around for a minute, and yet another encounter with those "slime knights", as those knights riding on slimes were called, we found ourselves back where we were before. It took a while for us to get to that underground lake.

"We'd better take a look," said Muriel. "The logs float in that direction."

And so I took a wide look at the place. I noticed a path leading downward into the deeper levels of the cave. I then looked at the logs and mentally calculated where they will float.

"Let's use this log," I said.

So Hassan, Muriel, and I hopped onto the log, and it was carried by the current. We landed just right before the path leading down. We al; disembarked and walked down, going deeper into the cave. Exploring around, we found and iron claw which Hassan decided to equip.

After a few more monster attacks, we heard something ghoing on around the corner; we decided to check it out.

In this small side chamber in the cave, we saw this man engaging some sort of demon. The demon was purple and had two wings sticking out of the back of its shoulders.

"Let's go," I said.

Muriel cast Upper on me to increase my defense, and I cast Sap on this horror beast to reduce its defense, while Hassan struck with his iron claw. The horror beast struck with its sharp claws.

It then did this strange dance. I started feeling strange and hazy.

I camr to my senses when I was struck...by Hassan! Muriel then cast IceBolt, and I was struck in the arm with a shard of ice.

"Stop it!" I yelled. "That monster must be confusing us somehow!"

Hassan then struck Muriel with the iron claw. "Owww!" she said.

"Snap out of it!" I yelled.

Hassan was then coming after me.

So I grabbed him and threw him at the horror beast.

"He's the target!" I yelled. "Concentrate!"

And so we did. I slahsed away with my copper sword, while Muriel cast Healmore and Heal and Hassan attacked the horror beast with his iron claw. The horror beast could not stand up to our attacks and fell.

"Thanks," said the man who had been fighting the beast.

"Who are you?" asked Muriel.

"My name is Iria," said the man. "I was here with my companion Gina. We were looking for treasure in the cave. When I opened the treasure chest, this demon came out. There was some confusion, and Gina struck me. Is she all right?"

"We some some lady back near the entrance," said Hassan. "She was trying to wash off the blood."

"Could you take me back to the surface?" asked Iria.

"Sure," I said.

And so we headed back to the cave's entrance.

"Iria," said the lady who was Gina. "You're still alive."

"You just scratched me, that's all," said Iria. "These three people slew the demon." He then turned tgo me. "for saving me from this beast, please take this." He then gave me a speed ring.

"Well, take care, you two," I said.

"Good luck."

And so the three of us went back to Amoru. The color from the river was gone.

"What do we do now?" asked Muriel.

"How about we get some sleep?" I asked. "We can continue our search for the mirror tomorrow."

We went back to the church and went to sleep.

ooooooooooooo

When I woke up, this old lady was staring at the three of us.

"It's you," she said.

"Who us?" we asked.

"It's me, Gina."

This lady was far older than the lady we met at the cave. It did not seem possible, unless...

"HOw doid you know about us?" I asked.

"After you three went to sleep, I could not find you anywhere," she said. "But I did dream about you."

"I'm very flattered," said Hassan.

"Gina, is that you?" asked a male voice.

We all looked and saw this old man.

"Iria?" asked Gina. "You're alive? You're really Iria?"

"Why yes, it's me," said Iria, looking older than the last time we saw him.

"it has been twenty years!"

"I recognize you three," Iria said to us. "I had a dream about you."

"You're not the only one," said Muriel.

"Here is soemthing I found long ago," said Gina. "this is the Mirror Key. We've no need for it anymore."

"Thanks," I said. "I really appreciate it. Good luck you two."

And so we left.

"What happened?" asked Hassan. "Did we travel back in time?"

"Apparently, we did," I said.

"This is a strange mission," said Muriel.

"Now let us go to that tower and see if the Mirror of Ra is there," I said. 


	11. The Two Towers

"Here we are," I said. "Let's hope this is the right tower."

Hassan, Muriel, and I looked at the tall towers before us. They both rose from the same base. Suspended between the towers, as if by magic, was this chamber.

Before setting off for here, I obtained a chain sickle to replace the copper sword. Muriel got herself a thorn whip. We then headed north and west of Reidock Castle, and arrived at these towers.

I inserted the key into the door's keyhole and turned it. I heard a click and then the door opened.

"We're in," said Muriel.

"Let's not celebrate until we know that the mirror is here," said Hassan.

And so we went into the first floor. It was basically a huge room, with a mirror in the back. The roof was supported by massive pillars.

Looking around, we could not find the stairs to the upper floor; we all wondered how to go up. We did see two stairwells going down. Maybe we had to go down in order to go up.

One of the stairwells led to an empty chamber. The other stairwell led to a chamber with a treasure chest; it contained a half plate which I equipped, providing the extra protection. We searched all over the place, both the first floor and the two basement chambers.

"This is frustrating," said Hassan. "We can't seem to find a way up."

"It has been almost three hours," said Muriel.

"I don't understand," i said. "there must be a way to go up- unless those are two solid stone blocks above us."

I looked at the mirror wall and the reflection behind it. "This is too much."

"Maybe we missed something in the basement," said Hassan. "Why not go down there again?"

I looked behind me towards the sdtairs leading to one of the basement chambers. "We checked there like a dozen times already," I said. I looked back towards the wall.

The stairwell was not reflected here.

A panel of the mirror wall slid open. "There's a door here!" I exclaimed.

But then these three walking corpses came out the door. I held my chain sickle and we attacked.

Muriel cast Upper on me to raise my defense even as I swung with my chain sickle. Hassan jump-kicked the zombies. These guys were tough, keeping us on our toes. More than once did Muriel have to heal us. Eventually, the poisonous zombies fell. Murile cast Antidote to heal the poison and we were on our way.

We finally saw a staircase heading up, and it led us to this balcony. We can see two towers and the chamber suspended high above us. One of the towers was locked, so we went inside the other tower. We began our ascent.

We were suddenly confronted with these three mirrors. They had what appeared to be tiny wings on their backs. There was suddenly a bright flash of light. I managed to close my eyes; I looked at Hassan and he was clearly dazzled.

Then one of the mirrors puffed into smoke, and then I saw...myself? Those mirrors had the ability to mimic us.

I glanced at my doppelganger. He was dressed in the same outfit as I was; he even had a chain sickle. The other two mirrors then puffed into smoke, and mimicked Hassan and Muriel as well.

These mimics of us attacked using the same techniques we did. The Hassan-clone slashed with an iron claw and jump kicked (and he hit hard, as I felt it) and the Muriel clone was able to heal the other two with her Healmore spell as well as strike us with ice shards by casting the IceBolt spell.

"Aaahh!" I yelled as my clone strukc me with his chain sickle. Muriel quickly cast Healmore to heal the wound. I then swung again with my chain sickle and took down my clone.

After a minute, Hassan took down the last of them, his own clone, by delvering a powerful jump kick. all that was left of them were shattered mirrors.

"Let's go on, people," I said.

We continued up the tower. We found a strength seed in one chamber, and we had some more encounters with other monsters like these shadows which had a high defense, these onions with legs and arms and a face, these huge moths, and these furry animals.

"Hello," I heard this high pitched voice say.

"Who's there?" asked Hassan.

I then saw someone. A ghostly shape. I could tell that was a silhoutte of a girl or woman, but that was about it.

"I know you're there," said Muriel.

I looked at a nearby mirror and the girl or woman was not reflected.

"I'm here looking for the Mirror of Ra," she said. "I don't know how I got like this, but maybe I could become visible if I looked into the mirror."

"We're also looking for the Mirror of Ra," I said. "It's a long story. You could help us out. Since you are not visible, you can warn us about monsters. Or have monsters here been able to see you?"

"Uh, no they have not."

This was dfferent than my experience in the Cave of Dream-Seeing, where monsters detected us while we were invisible to most of the world. Perhaps it had something to do with the place, or the monsters in the cave had that inherent ability. "Come along," i said.

"Okay," she replied. "My name is Barbara.

We all introduced ourselves to Barbara and we went along to the upper levels of the tower. We came across a switch on the wall. I pulled it, and heard something from far away.

"What was that?" asked Hassan.

"I hope you did not set off some trap," said Barbara.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there," I said.

"A bridge?" asked Muriel. "You extended a bridge or something."

Clibing up some stairs, we were greeted by the open air. We were on the roof of the tower. We can see the chamber floating in the power, it was apparently suspended by four glowing beams.

Then was two staircases leading down, so we climbed down one of them. We saw this strange purple orb just sitting on the floor. It was reflected in a mirror attached to the wall.

"I wonder what that is," I said.

I looked at it. It felt cool to the touch, and there did not seem to be anything peculiar about it.

I accidentally kicked the orb and it rolled along the floor. Suddenly it shattered.

"Looks like you broke it," said Barbara. "I hope you don't have to pay for that."

Nodding in agreement, I led the others back to the roof above, as there was nothing else in there.

I looked and saw only three beams keeping the chamber suspended.

"I think we should go to the other staircase" said Hassan.

And so we did. We saw the orb, reflected in a wall mirror. I pushed the orb out of the way and it shattered. Returning to the roof, we all saw that only two beams were keeping the chamber suspended.

"About those other two beams," said Muriel.

"Maybe they're in the other tower," said Barbara.

And so we went down to the second-level balcony, fighting off the monsters as we went. After we reached the second-level balcony, we went to the other tower. The door was open; perhaps that switch I pulled opened the door. We headed into the door and headed up the tower.

We came across a problem when we could not find a staircase leading up.

"Not again," said Hassan.

"I guess we've got to find a way up," said Muriel.

And so the three of us looked around the room, hoping to find a hidden door or a switch.

"Look," I heard Barbara say.

"What is it?" I asked.

"The stairs are here."

I looked and saw a mirror and my reflection. I could see a staricase going up in the reflection. Looking back, the staircase did not appear.

Looking at the mirror, I stepped to where the stairs was and set my foot down. I looked and my foot was apparently resting on thin air.

"It's invisible!" I yelled. "Just climb up here!"

And so we all climbed up the invisible stairs. Soon we were greeted with the outdoor air, and we were on the roof.

We would see two other stairs leading down, as well as the chamber being suspended by two bright beams. We headed down one stiarcase and moved the orb away from the mirror to shatter it. Looking from the roof, there was only one beam left. We went down the other staircase. I moved the orb aweay from the mirror. When it shattered, I heard this sound just seconds later.

We went out to the roof. The chamber was now on the second-floor balcony, between the two towers.

"Let's get down there," said Hassan.

And so we did, fighting our way past the monsters. We reached the balcony and then entered the chamber.

The chamber was small, with a terrace in the back. On the terrace was a mirror.

"That must be the Mirror of Ra!" yelled Barbara. "I can see my reflection."

I looked at Barbara's reflection to find out how she looked. She was this woman with red hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a blue blouse and blue miniskirt and a purple cape.

"Wait a minute," said Muriel. "Maybe the Dream-seeing Drops. do you still have it?"

"Yes," I said, handing the drops to Muriel.

Muriel then poured the Dream-Seeing Drops on the ghostly figure and chanted.

"What's happening?" asked Barbara.

I saw a primatic display of colors, and then Barbara became visible again.

"These two were like you before," said Muriel. "I figured if I did this to you, you'd become visible."

"What?" asked Barbara. "You could have made me visible all this time?"

"I guess so," said Hassan. "Anyway, we got to take this thing back to Reidock Castle."

"I'd like to go with you guys," said Barbara. "I've really got nowhere to go. I can't even remember where I came from."

I understood how she felt. "Okay, then," I said. "Come with us. There is much to show you."

I took the mirror; it was about as large as me.

"Don't break that," said Hassan. "We don't need any more bad luck."

We left the tower and I cast Return.

oooooooooooo

Less than a minute after casting Return, we were in front of the ruins of Dhama Shrine.

"I thought you were taking us to Reidock," said Muriel.

"We came from a parallel universe," I replied. "We have to go through to get the Reidock we came from."

"Parallel universe?" asked Barbara.

"No time to explain yet, just follow us."

And so we went into the still-intact basement of the ruins. The glowing well was still there.

"What do we do?" asked Muriel.

"Let's all gaze into the well," I said.

I gazed into the well and it seemed to draw me in.

And then I was outdoors. I can see the hole that Hassan and I fell through.

"What happened?" asked Barbara.

"We're in a parallel universe, the one we came from," I said. "This hole leads to the world where we found the mirror." I looked and saw the sun setting in the west. "Let's return to Reidock, shall we?"

And I cast Return.

oooooooooooo

When we returned to Reidock Castle, the soldier at the gate led us in, informing us General Soldi was waiting for us. Muriel and Barabra stayed outside.

"There you are," said the general, waiting by the stairs leading to the throne room.

"Mission accomplished, sir," I said. "We have retrieved the Mirror of Ra."

"Excellent you two," said Soldi.

"Do you know what we went through to get this, sir?" asked Hassan.

"You can debrief me later; the King wants to see you."

And we went upstairs and the King of Reidock was in there, sitting in his throne. We all bowed before our liege.

"So this is the Mirror of Ra," said the King.

"Yes, your Majesty," I replied. "We spent a great deal of effort to obtain it, sire."

"Mudo will not be able to escape," said the King. "I must speak with General Soldi and the royal court. I will meet with the two of you tonight, in the conference room downstairs. Dismissed."

"Yes, my lord," I replied.

ooooooooooo

At night, Hassan and I were waiting in the meeting room. We had been waiting for a few hours now.

"How much longer must we wait?" asked Hassan.

"There you are," said General Soldi. "We are meeting in the throne room. You two, with me!"

"Yes, sir," I said. We followed the general upstairs.

"Ugggh," I heard as I got up. I looked and I could see the King was in pain.

"My liege, are you okay?' asked the minister, who looked identical to Minister Geban in the other Reidock.

"Another...Reidock," said the King.

"Is that the real Mirror of Ra?" asked Soldi.

"Of course it is, sir," I said. "I'm sure it is, unless you were wrong about what the mirror does."

"That's not the King in the reflection. What sorcery is this?"

The Mirror of Ra flashed.

I looked, and saw this woman sitting in the throne in place of the King!

The woman collapsed on the floor.

"Who is that?" asked the minister. "A witch?"

"We'd better take her to bed," said Soldi.

And so we set her on the bed.

oooooooooooo

I had more dreams, dreams about Lifecod. It was just an ordinary life.

oooooooooo

The next morning, I went to the royal bedroom. The woman who somehow replaced the King odf Reidock was still sleeping there.General Soldi, the minister, and Hassan were all there.

"Only the four of us know what happened here," said General Soldi. "Let's keep this quiet for now."

"T...Tom?" asked the woman.

"Tell us who you are," said Soldi.

"My name is Shera," said the woman. "This is my real appearance."

"That names sounds familair," saiod the minister.

"Why were you impersonating the King?" asked Soldi.

"I...I don't know," said Shera. "Something happened and I somehow became the King of Reidock."

"So where is the King?" asked the minister.

"Sadly, the real King is with Mudo."

"Mudo?" we all asked.

"Has Mudo captured the King?" asked the general.

"I think the King is Mudo. I know this does not make sense, Tom, but don't you believe me?"

"Tom?" asked Soldi, clearly nervous. "Who's Tom? My name is Soldi. Never mind that now. The King is apparently Mudo's prisoner. We must send an expedition to his castle to rescue him!"

"I must go on this expedition," said Shera.

"Okay, then," said Soldi. "You will go to Mudo's castle and rescue the king," he said to me and Hassan.

"Yes, sir," we replied.

"You will depart at 1200."

"Sir, I request leave," I said.

"For what?" asked Soldi.

"I wish to return to Lifecod to bid farwell to my sister," I replied. "There's a good chance I won't come back."

"How will you get here in time?" asked Soldi.

"I can cast Return, sir," I said.

"The fastest form of transportation," said Soldi. "Be back. If you aren't, you will be treated as a deserter, and you know what happens to deserters."

"Yes, sir."

oooooooooooo

I returned to Lifecod that morning.

"Hi there," said Judy. "you back from soldiering?"

"I have to go back soon," I said. "I want to speak with Tania."

"She's over there."

I looked and saw Tania by the well.

"Brother," she said. "Welcome, home

"Tania, I will only be here for a little while," I said. "You see, the Army is shipping me out on an important mission."

"What mission?" she asked.

"I can't tell you yet, but you'll probably hear about it from me or from someone else. How are you feeling?"

"Fine, brother."

"I wanted to say goodbye because...because I might not come back."

Tania;s eyes started to tear. "Don't say that, brother! You've got to come back! Promise me, brother!"

"I can't make a promise if I am not sure I can keep it," I said. "But I hope to come back. Please stop crying. Let's make this a happy memory for the both of us."

"Okay," she said, wiping the tears from her face.

"I understand what he's saying," said Rand, who obviously overheard what we were talking about. "I'll watch out for her if you don't..."

"Goodbye, Rand," I said. "Goodbye, Tania. When this is all over, I want you two to be happy."

"I hope you have a share in it, brother," said Tania.

I cast Return and went back to Reidock Castle. 


	12. Mudo and the King

The sight before us was one of devastation.

After I returned from Lifecod, I set out with Hassan, Muriel, Barbara, and Shera at 1200. We had to pass through the southern border crossing, which led into this uncivilized land. Access was restricted.

The gate was wrecked, and one of the walls collapsed, leaving behind a pile of brick. The corpses of Reidock's soldiers lay on the ground, a testament to what had happened here today; a priest was attending to the newly dead. A chill entered my very soul.

It was clear to all of us that Mudo had attacked here. It was urgent to rescue the king and take Mudo down.

"May the Lord God watch over you," the priest said to us.

Falshion pulled the wagon past the border crossing, taking us out of the Kingdom of Reidock. As we crossed a bridge, I thought about my meeting weith Tania just a few hours ago.

I certainly was scared. What if I never came back? I could only imagine Tania getting a message from the Army informing me of my demise.

Then I imagined Mudo's forces laying siege to Lifecod. I could not let that happen; I had to put an end to this war today.

"Looks like we're here," said Hassan.

I looked and saw this cave entrance. It was located on a small island, in the middle of some nasty swampland. I understood why Mudo would choose such a place; the island's only land-access was an easily-defended bridge. We crossed the swamp; I could tell that Falshion did not like it.

"This is the place," said Shera. "Unless our intelligence is inaccurate."

"Mudo might be expecting us," said Barbara, drawing a staff. "If he has the king, he must have guards posted."

I drew my chain sickle and we all went down into the cave. We made sure to surround Shera, as it was imperative that we protect her.

It was only a few feet after entering the cave that we were greeted by these two stone-skinned demons that very much resembled the horror beast that we fought in that cave north of Amoru.

"Looks like Mudo sent us a welcoming party," said Muriel, taking out her thorn whip.

And so we fought. I immedaitely cast Sap to lower the defense of one of these stone beasts. Hassan delivered powerful jump kicks, while Barbara cast Blaze, sending a fireball at one of the the stone beast. I myself struck therm with my chain sickle. When one of them fell, I cast Sap on the other stone beast even with Muriel casting IceBolt. We all made sure to keep Shera covered. After a heavy barrage of attacks, the stone beasts went down.

"There's plenty more where they came from," I said. "Let's go."

We made ourway through the tunnels and soon found outselves on some natural balconies on the edge of a cliff; we continued our way down. Not suprisingly, monsters engaged us in battle. There were these kangaroos which held skulls in their hands and used them as weapons, the stone beasts like the ones who greeted us when we first entered the cave, these birds with long necks, and these flame-men-things which could, not surprisingly, hurl fireballs at us.

To get down, we had to traverse the balconies on the underground cliff as well as the side tunnels. We managed to find some treasure- a nut of magic, a sage's stone, and an iron helmet. After climbing down stairs and ladders, walking through tunnels, and fighting monsters, we found ourselves in a tunnel which lined with stone blocks. Soon afterwards, we found ourselves beforw a pair of huge doors.

"This must be Mudo's castle," said Barbara.

"Let's go in," said Hassan, holding his big mallet.

We opened the doors and entered. What lay before us was a raised causeway with two pits on either side. In one pit was a starway leading down, and there was a door in the other pit. A set of stairs led into each pit. In the back were two doors. The walls, floor, and ceiling were lined with huge stone blocks.

"Mudo would recognize me," said Shera. "Here is the mirror." She handed me the mirror.

We went to the doors; they were locked. The door in the left pit was also locked. So we could only go down the stiars in the right pit.

The stairs led to this huge room. It was empty, except for two switches. I tripped the switches by stepping on them. We then went back up the stairs; the two upper doors were open, as well as the door in the left pit. Goiung through one of the doors, we went into this room. There was a metal grate on the floor, and a switch. I hit the switch and suddenly the grate opened. I peered at the grate and below I could see a dark room, illuminated only by the light coming from this grate. We made our way around the room, and there were three more grates which I opened by stepping on the floor switches.

We then headed out to the entrance and descended into the left pit and went through the door. We found oursleves in this dark room, wituh light coming through the grates I just opened. The floor was basiclaly a series of connected walkways without guardrails. One wrong slip and we could fall to the basement below. I was thanful I had shed light in this room.

We made our way carefully along these unguarded walkways. We engaged in battle with some monsters, who were quite comfortable fighting on these walkways. It was nothing- I swung with my chain sickle, Hassan delivered deadly jump-kicks, while Muriel and Barbara cast their magical spells. After wandering through this pooly-lit chamber, we went up some stairs. Upstairs, there was nothing but a floor switch which I pressed with my foot.

Going back down, we found an additional area of the room was illuminated. So we walked along the narrow walkways and reached these stairs leading down.

Walking down the stairs, we found ourselves in this brightly -lit room.

"I'd better stay here," said Shera. "I should not be seen by Mudo."

And indeed this was the throne room. A red carpet covered the floor. Sitting on this massive throne was this green figure. He had two eyes, two horns protruding from his head, two arms, and two legs. He was adorned in this cape. I immedaitely knew this was Mudo. And by the looks of things, he was expecting us.

"Ho ho ho," said the demon king. "Why don't you just give up?"

"In the name of the Kingdom of Reidock," I said, "I demand you release the king now!"

"Oh please," replied Mudo. "I will not cower to such pathetic beings as you. Instead of releasing the king, I will simply send you back where you came from - in pieces."

I drew my chain sickle; it was clear to me that we were to do battle.

Barbara and I cast Sap on Mudo to basically murder his defense even as Muriel cast Upper to increase my defense. Hassan struck with his big mallet and I struck with my chain sickle.

Mudo had quite a few tricks up his sleeve. He managed to breathe fire, and could cast Firebane. In addition, he pounded us with his powerful fists. Muriel had to heal us with Healmore. I had to be quick on my feet to avoid his powerful blows and get away from the hottest of his flames.

Hassan delivered a powerful jump kick anbd Mudo fell. We all surrounded him; it was clear he had difficulty getting up.

"I...I can not be defeated," said the demon king. He then vanished into thin air.

"Use the Mirror of Ra!" yelled Shera, standing near the stairs.

I whipped out the Mirror of Ra and pointed the reflective side towards the throne. Mudo then reapppeared, with a look of surprise on his face. The mirror flashed.

And then this human appeared in Mudo's place. He appeared to be in his early fifties; he wore these royal clothes with a gold crown on his head. I recognized him from somwhere.

"Shera?" asked the man.

"You..in this world," she said. "You were the demon king Mudo."

"Of course," said the man. "this is the world of dreams!"

I did not understand at first. The world of dreams? What was this man talking about?

"This world here," said the man, "was created by the dreams of people in the real world."

Suddenly we heard footsteps and I drew my chain sickle. I wonder if these were reinforcements.

They were reinforcments- they were from Reidock Castle. General Soldi himself was leading this mission.

"Is everything okay?" asked the general.

"Yes, sir," I replied. "We managed to defeat Mudo."

Soldi bowed. "Your Majesty," he said.

"There is much to discuss, General," said the man, who was clearly the king of Reidock. "You must escort me back to the castle."

"At once, my lord."

The king then spoke to me and my party.

"You must come with us back to the castle," he said. "We will reward you for saving me."

"We will, sire," I replied.

The king and Shera left with Soldi and the other soldiers. I cast Outside and then I cast Return.

ooooooooooooo

We immedaitely headed to Reidock Castle and went to the throne room to speak with the king. The room was empty; only the minister was there.

"You have returned," said the minister. "Have you seen Soldi and the woman?"

"Yes, sir," I replied. "We managed to rescue the king and he is escorting him back here. They're not here?"

"No, they are not. Perhapos you arrived here before they. Please wait."

oooooooooooo

I spent the night in the castle. I once again had a dream of life in Lifecod.

When I woke up, we all went back to the throne room.

"They still haven't returned," said the minister. "You need to go find them. I can only hope they are safe."

"Are we fools?" asked Hassan as we left the throne room. "The king said he'd be here, and he's not."

"Something's up," said Muriel.

"Wait a minute," said Barbara as we walked along the outer wall. "the king said to go to HIS castle. You understand?"

Of course! This was the dream world. We had to go to Reidock in the real world. "I do understand!" I said. "Let's go."

And then I cast Return.

ooooooooooo

We landed in Shiena, which was the nearest town to the hole that led to the real world.

As Falshion pulled our wagon, west, I looked around. So this was the world of dreams.

Then it occurred to me that Lifecod was in the world of dreams. All those people- the Elder, Judy, Rand, and Tania- they were all dreams, all figments of someone's nighttime imagination. I could see the mountain where Lifecod sat upon.

"So you're not real," I said, thinking of Tania.

Soon we found ourselves at the hole where I first fell through a long time ago, it seemed, back when I thought I was a villager from Lifecod looking for the Spirit Crown. But now I knew Lifecod was just a dream.

Falshion pulled the wagon into the hole and we went down to the real world. 


	13. The Gent Clan and the Ship of God

We landed at the same spot where I had landed the first time I fell through this hole. Falshion managed to land on his feet, and there was no damage to the wagon. I cast Return and we were then just outside of Reidock Castle.

We approached the guard who stood watch at the front gate.

"Do you have news on the impostor prince?" he asked.

"Yes," I replied.

"Come with me."

And so he did. We went into the main lobby.

"That's him," said one of the guards. "That's the impostor prince!"

"After what happened to General tom," said another guard.

The guards pointed their spears at us and they marched us downstairs to a tiny cell in the dungeon.

"I will inform the king," said the guard. "You will stay here."

ooooooooo

"What kind of hospitality is this?' asked Hassan.

"They still seem to be mad at me for impersonating the prince," I replied.

We had been in this cell for minutes since our arrival at the castle.

"How long are we going to be here?" asked Barbara.

The same guard that led us to our cell showed up.

"I'm terribly sorry," he said. "I should not have put you in here; I misunderstood my orders. The king summons you all."

And so he led us fgrom the dungeon to the throne room. The King of Reidock was there, sitting on his throne. Shera was sitting next to him. We all bent on one knee.

"First of all," said the king, "I'd like to aspologize for my soldiers. General Tom was executed for his error in admitting you into the castle as the prince."

I suddenly understood. If Tom was dead, and Soldi was Tom's dream-world counterpart, it explained why Soldi never made it back to the dream world's Reidock.

"Let me explain what happened," he continued. " I ordered a final offensive against Mudo, so I got onto a ship and we set sail for his kingdom. Suddenly there was this mysterious light. When I regained consciousness, I was Mudo!"

"That explains a lot, sire," I said.

"Please come with me outside. I've a favor to ask you."

"Yes, my lord." We all followed the king outside to the walkway along the outer walls. We had a nice view of the city that surrounds the castle.

"In my abscence, the real Mudo has grown strong," said the king. "We must request the help of the Gent clan; they have this ship called the Ship of God. Their capital is in the northern mountains, beyound our borders. Here is a royal letter to the Elder of the Gent Clan. I will send a message to the northern border crossing and they will allow you to pass."

"We will do this, sire," I said, taking the letter.

oooooooooooo

About an hour after leaving the castle, we arrived at the northern border crossing. The flag of the Kingdom of Reidock flew proudly.

"The castle informed us of your arrival," said the guard. "Have a safe trip."

At oine end of the border crossing was a sign reading "THE GENT CLAN WELCOMES YOU". We crossed through the checkpoint and into the territory of the Gent Clan.

I looked at the magic map as it revealed in detail more territory. It was another two hours before we arrived at the town of Gent.

The town itself was smaller than Reidock and was located at the head of an inlet. The centerpiece of the town was this shrine perched on the bluffs next to the water. There were houses with huge yards on which people grew crops.

We mingled with the natives of Gent. We heard more about the Ship of God. We also heard something about the Pegasus, a flying horse, and how one of the horses in Gent was a descendant of the Pegasus.

We entered the Elder's house, which was right near the shrine. Inside, it was a small home, with a kitchen, dining room, and a bedroom.

"Sir," I said to the elder as we met in the dining room. "I have a message from the king of Reidock." I handed him the letter.

"So your king wants to borrow the Ship of God in order to attack Mudo's castle," says the Elder. "I understand his situation. Unfortunately, the Ship of God can only be piloted by a member of the Gent Clan. Even if I were to let you board the ship, it will not sail with any of you at the helm."

"I understand, sir," I replied. "Perhaps there is another way you can help us reach Mudo's castle."

"I'll have to discuss it with the Council," said the Elder.

We all went towards the front door. Suddenly, this kid appeared in front of us. He was dressed in this yellow robe and wore huge glasses; he carried this cane with him.

"Grandfather," said the kid.

"Hello, Chamoro," replied the elder.

"I see we have visitors," said Chamoro.

"They came to request the Ship of God, but only a member of the Gent Clan can pilot it."

Suddenly, I heard this voice.

"Chamoro," said the voice. "Travel with these people to Mudo's island."

"What was that?" asked Hassan.

I recognized the voice. It was the voice I heard at the Spirit Festival back in Lifecod in the dream world.

"Grandfather," said Chamoro. "Let these people take the ship. I will go with them."

the kid's grandfather looked at him. "Very well, my grandson," he said.

We all introduced ourselves to Chamoro.

"This is the Gent Cane," he said, hoplding the cane. "It can heal wounds. I also know quite a bit of curative magic."

"Shall we go?" I asked.

Chamoro led us outside to the shrine.

"Are you really going to break the seal on the divine ship?" asked a man standing in front of the door.

"Yes, we are," said Chamoro. "the Elder has authorized the use of the ship."

"Come on inside."

We all went inside and there was this huge wooden ship inside. It was suspended in the air by huge chains. We crossed a footbridge into the ship.

"Are you ready?" asked a man who toom the steering column.

The ship was then lowered and lowered until it hit the water below with a splash. I can sdee an exit leading outside. The ship then sailed out of the alcove and towards the inlet.

"Well, this is it," said Muriel.

I drew my broad sword, which I had picked up at Reidock just before leaving for Gent. As we approached the mouth of the inlet, I prayed a silent prayer. 


	14. Mudo's Castle

"There it is," said the man at the sterring wheel.

I looked and just at the horizon, I could see an island with a castle on top of a mountain. That could only be Mudo's castle.

It was about half an hour before we reached landfall. The ship set anchor right neasr the beach, and the gangway was lowered.

"Well," I said, taking out my broad sword, "shall we go?"

"I'm going to stay here," said Barbara. "don't think I'm selfish or anything. Someone just needs to see the ship."

"Okay," said Chamoro. "You be careful, honey."

"We'd better take the Mirror of Ra," said Hassan. "Who knows what kind of tricks Mudo would be up to?"

And so Hassan, Muriel, Chamoro, and I walked down the gangway and onto the beach. The mountain was steep, too steep to climb. Along the way we saw a wrecked ship by the beach.

We soon came across a cave entrance. Even from ten feet away, I could feel it was hot.

"Should we go in there?" asked Muriel.

"Well, if we want to face Mudo," I said.

And so we went inside and immedaitely we were engulfed in hot air. I mean, I could feel the heat. There were actually pools of lava on the ground.

Muriel cast IceBolt. The shard of ice quickly melted.

"Let's hope we can make it through before we roast to death," said Hassan.

As if the heat were not enough, we were attacked by monsters who called this fiery hot cave home. There were these flame clouds that spewed fire, these bats, these demons that resembled the bloody paw back at the Cave of Dream-Seeing, these little hobbits carrying huge shields, and these rotting, animated corpses. Chamoro healed our wounds with his Gent Cane quite a few times. There were instances of having to actually run across hot lava. Chamoro was useful in healing us.

The lava maze was just that, a maze. We kept wandering around for what seemed like hours, most likely due to the intense heat. Several times I felt as if I could not take this anymore. We managed to find some treasure, like a chain cross and a full plate which I equipped.

Finaly, after what seemed to be an eternity, we emerged out of that literal hellhole. I was immediately greeted by the cool air.

"Why don't we stay here and cool down a bit?" asked Muriel.

"Sure," I said. I checked out my surooundings. There was an underground river floweing through this section of a cave. In the distance I can see steam- presumably the water seeped into the fiery levels below.

"Well," said Hassan, "shall we get going?"

And so we did. There were monsters here, monsters different from the lower levels of the cave. We fought these empty sduits of armor equipped with spears and a shield and some mud creatures and some animated skeletons with chains attached to their legs. It was exhasusting as we made our way through; Muriel and Chamoro weree very helpful with their healing while Hassan's jump kicks often dispatched the enemy.

Finally,. we were greeted by a cool breeze of air. I looked up and saw the stars.

"Here we are," I said. "We should make camp."

I looked around and saw this clearing in the woods. It all seemed familiar. Anyway, Hassan and I gathered some firewood. I the lit it with a match; Muriel did not know the Blaze spell.

Exhausted, I went to sleep.

oooooooooo

I still dreamt of Lifecod and Tania. I wonder who or what Tania was. Who originally imagined her? Was it me or someone else?

I did not get along together with Rand in my dreams. Whom did Rand represent? Did he represent feelings of guilt or resentment? Was he some part of me I did not like?

oooooooooooo

"Are you ready?" I heard Hassan ask.

"Sure," I said.

"Let's do it," said Muriel.

This...this did seem very familiar.

"Don't you have a feeling of deja vu?" asked Hassan.

I could have sworn we did this before, and we were all here except for Chamoro.

Muriel took out this flute and played a tune.

Suddenly, this familiar-looming whirte dragon appeared. We immediately hopped on. The dragon flew us right to Mudo's castle below.

We entered through the front door and into the main lobby. It had a red carpet and stone walls.

I saw a bright flash coming from Chamoro's fingertip. "There," said the kid. "This should allow us to cast Return or use a wing of wyvern to get back here."

"Let's go," I said. "We have an appointment with Mudo."

"We've done this before, right?" asked Hassan.

Mudo was definitely expecting us. There were these people dressed as clowns and some armor-clad soldiers who attacked us. And there were these humans dressed in turbans and carrtying scythesd who attacked us with spells; I guess Mudo was an equal opportunity employer. And of course there were beasts like these giant sheep and these giant turtles. We dispatched them with our weapons and spells, and Chamoro healed us with his Gent Cane.

We then came to this huge room. A statue stood in front of the stairs.

"Wait a minute," said Hassan. "That's me!"

I approached the statue and looked. Indeed, it was an exact likeness of Hassan. Mudo must have had an excellent sculptor in his employ. But I wondered why Mudo would have a statue of Hassan.

"Such nice work," said Hassan.

"What's happening?" asked Chamoro. "You're glowing!"

"What?" asked Hassan.

And then there was a bright flash and I was dazzled for a moment. Whgen my eyes focused again, the statue was gone.

"Where did the statue go?" asked Muriel.

"I remember!" yelled Hassan. "I remember everything!"

"Remember what?" I asked. "What could you possibly remember?"

"I was a carpenter in San Marino," he said. "I joined up with you and Muriel here and we sailed here to fight Mudo. But Mudo set a trap. He separated his spirit from my body and cast my spirit to the dream world!"

"Wow," said Chamoro.

"We'd better get going," I said. "Mudo is obviously expecting us."

"I remember this technque," said Hassan. "It's the Spirit Punch. I'm sure it will prove useful."

"Welcome back, Hassan," said Muriel.

And so we went up the stairs and ended up in this balcony. Just ahead was rthe central tower.

"This is it," said Hassan. "Mudo's throne is behind that door!"

I drew my broad sword. "Mudo obviously has some trap set for us," I said.

"We've gotten stronger than last time," said Muriel. "Besides, we have both the Mirror of Ra and Chamoro here."

And so we all went in.

And we were surrounded by this bright fog.

"Ho ho ho," said this voice, who sounded like the fake Mudo from the dream world. "I shall banish you to the dream world!"

And then there was this pain and this bright light.

and I felt myself on this hard surface.

"You fell out of bed," I heard this female voice say.

I looked and I saw Tania. I was back at that house in Lifecod.

"This has to be a dream!" I shouted.

"You were having a nightmare, brother," Tania replied.

"No!" I yelled. "You don't exist! Lifecod doesn't exist! This is all fake!"

"Shall I get a doctor?" asked Tania. "Or a priest?"

I looked and noticed a mirror in the room.

It was the Mirror of Ra. I saw my face in the mirror, the same as before.

"Where did you get that mirror?" asked Tania. "My reflection."

I stared at the mirror, and the room was definitely different.

Then everything changed. We were in Mudo's throne room all along.

"So you have the Mirror of Ra," said Mudo, looking exactly as the fake Mudo of the dream world. "How about I just kill you and have your soul imprisoned forever!"

These two jesters joined Mudo and the battle was on. Hassan used his Spirit Punch on Mudo's escorts while I swung my broad sword at the demon king himself. Muriel and Chamoro cast support and healing spells like Upper, Increase, and Healmore. Chamoro also chimed in with his Gent Cane.

The two jesters could not withstand the might of Hassan's Spirit Punch, and they fell before the warrior. He then launched his Spirit Punches at Mudo.

"Take that and that and that!" he yelled as he delivered his powerful Spirit Punches. I then followed up with a quick slash.

Mudo was kneeling.

"The king of Reidock makes a stronger Mudo than you!" yelled Hassan.

"May whatever dark power you worship have mercy on your soul," I said, pointing the tip of my sword at the demon king.

"Talk is cheap," said Mudo. He suddenly arose on his feet. "Now you taste my true power!"

I swung my sword at Mudo, and he suddenly struck me. I hit the wall and the blow knocked the wind out of me.

Hassan launched another Spirit Punch at Mudo. the demon king nimbly dodged and then delivered a powerful punch to his gut and sent him kneeling.

"What a pity," said Mudo. "For you humans to throw away your worthless lives. You should have joined me; I treat my employees very well."

"IceBolt!" yelled Muriel as she cast several shards of ice at Mudo.

Mudo just laughed. "It will take more than frozen water to beat me, girl!" he yelled. He then strikes down Muriel.

He then breathed a very hot fire on all of us. The flames licked at my flesh.

"Here!" yelled Chamoro, healing me with his Gent Cane.

"We're all gonna have to work on this together," I said.

"Right with you, pal," said Hassan.

"Attack him head on!"

And so they did. Mudo quickly sent them reeling with their mighty blows.

I just realized Mudo could shout in my voice.

"Cast Increase so we can take his blows!" I yelled. Muriel quickly responded by casting Increase.

Indeed, Mudo struck me with one of his blows. It did not hurt as much; I was still able to stand.

I swung with my broad sword while Hassan attacked Mudo head on and Muriel and Chamoro provided the healing. We did our best to parry or dodge Mudo's blows, and we did our best to protect ourselves against his scorching, flaming breath. He would occasionally send freezing waves to cancel out our support spells, so Muriel had to cast Increase again.

But he was still forminadable even against the four of us. I fell to the ground after one of his mighty blows. I saw my companions all knocked down.

"Not even an army can withstand my power," said Mudo. "This world is mine."

I clenched my fist. I thought of Tania. I could not let her down!

"It's not over!" I yelled. "As long as one person stands against you, it's not over!"

"IT'S OVER!" yelled Mudo as he breathed our fire.

But I raised my iron shield against the hot flames. Even as I felt the painful heat conducted by the shield, I went and swung my sword.

Mudo's head was separated from his body and fell on the floor. Mudo's body, spurting demonic blood from the severed neck, fell forward.

The demon king was dead.

I hoped.

"You have done well," said this voice. "you have defeated the demon king."

Suddenly, I felt fully energized. Hassan, Muriel, and Chamoro sprang up on their feet, as if new life was given to them.

We won.

oooooooooooooo

We immediately returned to Reidock Castle as fast as we could.

"Well done," said the king. "you have freed us all from Mudo's reign."

"Thank you, sire," I said.

"You look like our son," said Queen Shera. "But just as we dreamed he would be. I think you are our son."

"How would you know?" I asked.

"You must continue your journey," said the queen. "Find your true self."

"I have a reward for you," said the king. He gave mer this staff. "This is the Staff of Thunder."

"We are grateful, my lord," I said.

I looked at my companions. "Well, I'll be setting off on another journey soon," I said. "If you wish to return to your homes, I will understand."

"I should see my parents back in San Marino," said Hassan. "But don't leave without me! It's not over yet, buddy!"

"I am coming with you," said Muriel.

"I've nowhere else to go," said Barbara.

"And I must explore this world to prepare to assume the Eldership of the Gent Clan someday," said Chamoro.

"It's settled," I said. "Good to have you all join me." 


	15. Dhama Shrine Revived

"So why are we here again?" asked Hassan.

"We're here to go to the Dhama Shrine," I said.

"But this well only leads to a hole in the ground," replied Muriel.

"the sage at Reidock said he saw the Dhama Shrine restored in his dreams," I said. "I havbe a hunch. If it doesn't pan out, we go back to the real world and we start our journey."

With that, I looked into the well.

I was immediately greeted with fresh air.

We saw the sight in front of us.

It was a magnificent building, gleaming brand new.

It was clear to me that this was the Dhama Shrine.

All of us entered the shrine.

"Welcome to the Shrine at Dhama," said one of the guards.

It was a huge place, its walls made of marble. In the main room was the king of the shrine, adn to the left was a nun who informed us of the basic job classess- Soldier, Fighter, Wizard, Priest, Thief, Beastmaster, Merchant, Ranger, Superstar, Battlemaster, Paladin, Sage, and Hero. In the basement level there were pilgrims who visityed, talking about the job classes they can sign up for. I heard from one of the pilgrims about a Sword of Ramias. I also heard that dancers are very good at fighting unarmed. There was also this hero class, which requires mastery of all other classes. and there was this room with sixteen unlit lamps.

We then went to the king.

"What job classes so you want?" he asked.

And so we told him.

I became a Dancer, who uses dances to distract enemies.

Hassan became a Soldier, who is physically powerful and does not leanr magic.

Muriel became a Beastmaster, who can recruit monsters and breathe out various breaths.

Chamoro became a Wizard, who can cast powerful offensive spells.

And Barbara became a Priest, who can cast healing and defensive spells.

"As you travel, you will learn the skills of your trade," said the king.

And so we did. We went to the lowest basement level and gazed into the well to return to the real world. 


	16. Swordsman in Blue

"So you are leaving again," said the Elder of the Gent Clan.

"Yes," replied Chamoro.

"Take care."

Chamoro stood on the deck of the Ship of God. The Gent Clan had agreed to loan me the ship for my journey to explore the world. We lifted anchor and set sail out of the inlet and into the wide ocean. I looked at the magic map, which revealed more and more ocean.

Not surprisingly, monsters jumped out from beneath the surface to attack the ship. There were these octopi armed with spears, shields, and armor, these marine snakes, these spear-wielding mermen, these sdea vultures, and these jellyfish. I often got the enemies to dance by using the Entice Dance skill, while Hassan delivered deadly jump kicks, Muriel used the Sweet Breath skill to put enemies to sleep and Chamoro cast Firebane to burn the enemies while Barbara cast Heal to heal us.

It was after a few hours of sailing that we sighted land.

"Looks like this is uncharted territory for us," I said, looking at the magic map.

"We can set anchor over there," said Chamoro.

And so we sailed up to about a few yards from the coastline and set anchor. We all got onto the wagon and Falshion pulled us down the gangway and onto the beach.

I was able to make out the surroundings. There were clearly cultivated fields.

"There must be a settlement somewhere," said Hassan. "maybe wee can find clues as to our next step."

"Uh, by the way," said Muriel, "you visited your parents, right? How was that?"

"It was okay, I guess. I was only gone for three weeks."

As we traveled due east, according to the compass, we were attacked by monsters. There were these empty suits of armor similar to those we fought in the cave leading to Mudo's castle, there were these blue jellyfish which could cast Heal upon their allies, and there were these dogs which wielded bows ans arrows.

After about an hour of traveling inland, I saw something in the distance.

"A castle!" I yelled.

It clearly was a castle, with stone towers and walls.

ooooooooooooo

A sign identified the castle as Arcbolt Castle. There was a courtyard just before the doors into the main keep. We saw a wooden sign, reading "i'm Looking For a Warrior to Defeat a Monster"- the King

The great wooden doors open, and this man in blue walked out. He appeared to be carrying a broad sword. What I did notice is that he was dragging a coffin behind him.

"Excuse me," said the man, dragging the coffin as he left the castle.

I shrugged and we all entered the main keep.

The lower levels of the castle had an inn and some shops. I heard more about the challenge, that several people have come to the castkle, received a coffin, and left to the northwest. There was a tunnel northwest of here under construction. 

"We might as well take the challenge," said Barbara. "That tunnel needs to be built and we've got to be the ones to take that monster out."

And so we approached a guard.

"Excuse me," I said. "We heard about the king's request and we wish tio speak to him. Does he have time for me?"

"You must defeat me in battle first," said the guard, drawing a sword.

And so we engaged in combat with the guard. Hassan gave the guard some powerful Spirit Punches, while Muriel cast Increase healed with Healmore and Chamoro cast Firebane. The Entice Dance had no effect on this soldier, so I simply swung with my broad sword. After a minute, the guard went down.

"You are good," he said. "You may pass."

And so we did, going to the upper levels of the castle. We spoke to more people, and we did find small medals. I kept those medals, wondering what they are for.

We emerged to tghe balcony and these two soldiers were standing in front of the door.

"You must defeat us before you can see the king," said one of the guards.

I drew my broad sword and we attacked.

Muriel cast Increase to raise our defense, while I cast Sap. I then struck with my sword while Hassan used the Spirit Punch. Muriel healed us with Healmore and Chamoro healed us with the Gent Cane. Occasionally, one of the soldiers would cast Defense, requiring Muriel to recast Increase. The two guards fell quickly. After all, we did finish off Mudo just yesterday.

"You may pass," said the other soldier.

We then entered this huge room with a red carpet. Near the back were two thrones, where a man and a woman sat. The man wore a robe and a crown; he was definitely the King of Arcbolt.

"Welcome," said the king.

"Your Majesty," I said. "We are taking up your challenge."

"Yes, many parties have come to take the challenge," his Majesty replied. "I had the guards engage in combat with you to test your strength. Though one person managed to defeat the guards all by himself. You see, my people were building a tunnel in the northwest so people could travel between my kingdom and the lands to the north. But there was this monster there. I sent an army to defeat the monster, and most of them were killed. Brast, the captain of the guard, was wounded. There is a reward should you defeat the monster. But before I accept your challenge, you must defeat the captain of the guards."

This man entered the throne room. "you summoned me, sire?" asked the man.

"Captain Brast, these people wish to take the challenge," said the king. "Defeat them."

"As you wish, my lord." Brast then looked at us. "Come with me, we go to the training room in the southwest tower."

So we all, the king and queen included, left the throne room and walked along the outer wall to the spouthwest tower. We went down some stairs.

The room on the lowest level had a dirt floor. There were these wooden training dummies.

"I am the Thunder Knight Brast," he said. "Though you are four, I am still quite capable of taking multiple opponents down. Are you ready?"

"Yes, I am," I said, wielding my broad sword.

And then the battle began. Muriel cast Increase while I cast Sap. Brast had this Spinning Sword technique which knocked down all of us. He was much more difficult than his subordinates. I had to stay on my toes just to avoid being cut down with his sword. Brast was not one to be taken down easily, even with Hassan and I keeping at him while Muriel and Chamoro provided backup with spells. Fortunately, with the skills I learned as a Dancer, I was able to stay on my feet even after being hit by one of Brast's Spinning Sword attacks.

I saw Brast's sword coming straight at me; I quickly rolled and then smashed against his chest with the blade of my broad sword. I pointed the tip of my sword at Brast's throat.

"I don't believe it!" he said. "I've been defeated again. You are powerful; the monster in the cave is much more powerful than I."

We then went back to the throne room.

"If you defeat the monster in the cave, I shall grant to you a Sword of Thunder," said the king. "But I requirew proof of its death. I shall give you a coffin. If you bring the coffin back with the monster's corpse in it, you shall get your reward."

"Thank you, sire," I said.

An aide gave us a blue coffin. We headed out of the castle, towards the northwest.

ooooooooooooo

"It's amazing though," said Chamoro. "We killed Mudo yesterday, and now we're dragging a coffin around."

"We'll see where this path takes us," I said.

We reached the entrance into the tunnel. the inside was dark except for lit torches.

"We saw another fellow walk inside with a coffin," said a construction worker working in the tunnel. "you guys coming to kill that monster."

"Right," said Hassan.

"You should have brought more coffins. Ain't enough for the four of ya.. Lots of people went down there and never came back."

"Someone has to kill the monster," I said.

Walking through the tunnel, we came across two monsters blokcing a corridor. One look liked the demon Hassan and I fought in the Cave of Dream-Seeing, the other looked like a panther.

"You will not enter this cave," said the demon. And they attacked us.

I used my Entice Dance to get the panther to dance while Hassan attacked, Muriel breathed Sweet Breath, and Chamoro cast Firebane. These monsters were nowhere as near as powerful as Mudo was, or even as powerful as Brast, and they fell quickly.

We continued deeper into the cave. It was apparent that this cave was here before construction on the tunnel was begun. The cave served as home to all sorts of monsters. We fought these skeletons and these armored men similar to those we fought on our way to Mudo. We also fought these carrot-like monsters and these big iguanas. I used the Death Dance technique which sometimes slew the monsters outright.

The first level of this cave was an underground pond. There was some sort of causeway which we used to cross the pond. We managed to find a defense seed and five hundred eighty gold.

Just before reaching a passage leading to the lower level, we noticed a treasure chest which was empty. What else we noticed was this dead monster.

"I wonder who killed it," said Chamoro.

We continued walking through the lower levels of the cave, defeating the monsters who dare stood in our way.

After a few minutes and a few more battles, we heard some commotion.

"What was that?' asked Muriel.

I drew my broad sword. As we walked towards where we could hear the noise coming from, I noticed these eggshells. We then came across an intact eggs.

"I wonder what these eggs are for," said Hassan.

Then suddenly the egg cracked and this viper came out and bit him!

"Owww!" he yelled.

I used the Entice Dance to get the viper dancing as Hassan attacked and Chamoro cast Firebane and Muriel cast IceBolt. Soon, this hell viper was down. Chamoro used the Gent Cane to heal Hassan's wound.

We continued walking and in this dead-end chamber, we saw this huge green reptiloid monster wielding this menacing axe. I noted some cracked eggshells around the monster.

"My eggs!" yelled the monster. "You crush. I kill."

I drew my sword, preparing myself for battle.

I then noticed the swordsman in blue, the same swordsman we saw back at the castle.

I approached him.

"I don't need your help," said the warrior. "Get out of the way!"

The monster swung with the axe and breathed fire, and the man easily dodged, as if he were simply dancing. He then struck down the monster with his broad sword.

"Gwaaaa!" yelled the monster. "My body! Pain!"

"Looks like I win," said the man, palcing the monster inside the coffin. He then left with the coffin.

ooooooooooooo

Upon our return to Arcbolt, we saw the young man who defeated the monster single-handedly.

"Too bad," he said. "The Sword of Thunder is mine."

And he held it up for all too see.

ooooooooooo

"You are too late," said the king as I returned the coffin. "The swordsman Terry killed the monster. As promised, I gave unto him the Sword of Thunder."

"We thank you for this opportunity, my lord," I said.

ooooooooooo

"That Terry fellow must be real strong," said Hassan as we were in our rented room in the Wayfarer's Inn. "I wonder if we could recruit him to our cause, ya know."

"He'll probably accuse us of holding him back," said Barbara. "There's no way I could go toe-to-toe with a dragon."

"and he has that Sword of Thunder," said Chamoro. "It must be a legendary blade."

"The best thing for us to do is get some rest so we can cross the tunnel and find out what's out there, or maybe even find my real-world counterpart," I said. I looked and notice Muriel was staring off. "Is thgere something wrong, Muriel?"

"Uh, no," she replied. "I'm just tired, that's all."

oooooooooooo

The next morning, we left Arcbolt Castle and headed towardfs the tunnel. A soldier said that the workers found another site which to dig through the tunnel. It took a few minutes before we emerged out of the tunnel.

According to the magic map, we were north of Arcbolt, on the other side of the mountains. We rode in the wagon as Falshion pulled us through.

About half an hour after exiting the tunnel, we came across three houses out in the middle of nowhere.

"Let's pay a visit," I said.

And so we did. The home was a simple one-room building.

"So where are you headed?" asked the man living in there.

"We're just passing through, I guess," I said. "The tunnel from Arcbolt was just finished."

"Ah yes, I heard of that. We've been getting a lot more travelers since the tunnel was opened. Before, to get to Arcbolt required passage on a ship. Anyway, a lot of people have disappeared to the west. I heard of a staircase to Heaven."

"A staircase to Heaven?" I asked.

"Well, that is what I heard. I know nothing more of it."

We all left the house.

ooooooooooo

Ten minutes later, heading out towards the west, we found the staircase to Heaven.

It was located just before this forest. The stairs seemed to be transluscent, and they went up to the sky.

"Well," said Hassan, "shall we?"

"Do you even need to ask?" I replied.

And so Falshion pulled us up the stairs to the sky. I looked down, and I could see the ground far below. I could see the mountains, Arcbolt Castle, and even the wide ocean.

We would soon find out what is up these stairs. 


	17. The Land of Happiness

The ground suddenly appeared as soon as we reached the top of the stairs.

I looked around. I could see trees, grass, and an ocean in the distance. I looked at the World Map; we were in the dream world.

"Where do we go now?" asked Hassan.

"Around the coastline," I said.

We walked along the coastline for about a few minutes.

"Look over there," said Muriel. "A cave."

I looked towards the mountains rising towards the west, and there was indeed a cave.

The corridors of the cave were wide enough for the wagon to fit in. As Falshion pulled us through, we were attacked by monsters- skeletons, big iguanas, mudmen, animated empty suits of armor, and metal slimes. I used the Chaos Dance to confuse enemies, while Hassan did a Double Slash, Muriel used the Flame Breath skill to breath fire, Chamoro cast Boom and Snowblast, and Barbara cast Infermore and Healmore. Across the way, we saw a man at the counter.

"What is this place?" I asked.

"This is an inn," he said.

"An inn?" asked Barbara. "Why would you be operating an inn here in a cave full of monsters?"

"Good business," the man replied.

We continued on our journey, collecting a small medal along the way. It was not long before we saw light. We approached the light, and we were outside.

We emerged out into a desert, even as the sun was setting.

"Look over there," said Chamoro. "There's a town."

I looked towards the west and I saw a cluster of buildings.

It was clear where we would go next.

oooooooooooo

"What a dump," said Hassan.

I had to agree. The place was a dump. It was just a bunch of buildings. the ground was not even paved- just the bare desert sand. The place was called Calcado. The people were complaining about the well running dry. There were other people talking about a Land of Happiness.

"Land of Happiness," said Muriel. "We'd better check it out."

And so we did. We learned that there was this island that appeared to the west during a full moon, and that would take us to the Land of Happiness. Searching around the town, we found wayfarer's clothes and a small medal.

In the weapon store was this traveling warrior. He weas adorned in armor and carried a broad sword.

"My name is Mahamed," he said.

"Have you heard of the Land of Happiness?" I asked.

"I suspect the Land of Happiness does not exist."

"Why so?"

"It's too good to be true."

We purchased some equipment upgrades, such as battle axes for me and Hassan, a moon folding fan for Muriel, a silver breastplate for me, and a shell armor for Chamoro.

We then looked out, and found out the sun was setting. I had heard that it would be a full moon this night.

oooooooooooooo

Nightfall came, and the full moon shone above us.

"I think Mahamed is right," said Barbara. "This Land of Happiness is too good to be true."

"We should check it out," I said.

And we went to the west. Just off the western cape, there was this island, with a wooden bridge connecting it to the cape.

"Hello there," said this man standing on the other side of the bridge. "Welcome. You wish to go to the Land of Happiness."

"Of course," I said.

"All are welcome, sirs and madams."

And so we boarded the island. There was this little building in the back.

Inside was this tavern. Drinks were being served by comely women. The place was packed, some of the people we recognized from Calcado.

Including one man.

"You said you thought the Land of Happiness," I said to Mahamed.

"I've got to check it out," he replied. "Something just isn't right."

"Us too."

I went to the bar and started having a few drinks. I began to feel this buzz. After a while, the bartender asked if I wanted to rest, and I accepted.

oooooooooooo

I woke up and found myself back in Lifecod.

"Was it all a dream?" I asked.

It was a typical day there.

One time Rand came to talk to me.

"We've got to talk," he said.

"What's up?" I asked.

"You really got to move on."

"But I've got nowhere to go."

"You're an outsider; you're not one of us. Just because Tania found you wounded on the mountainside doesn't make you one of us. You need to leave."

ooooooooooooooooo

"Wake up!" I heard.

I looked up and found myself in a place that did not yet look familiar.

I looked more and I saw two demons.

"Come with us," they said.

I remembered where I was; I was in a tavern on an island going to the Land of Happiness. But the presence of these demons indicated that the Land of Happiness was anything but.

All of us were marched off the island. After walking for about twenty minutes, I could see a castle ahead, a large stone structure.

The front room of the castle had this huge pit. There were so many people in the room, all guarded by demons and monsters. some of the people were already turned to stone!It was clear to me who was behinf this Land of Happiness myth.

"Here is our ruler, Jamiras!" announced this demon.

And then this demon appeared. He appeared to be this giant bird. He was clearly Jamiras.

"Greetings," said Jamiras. "Though Maou Mudo has fallen, the demon clan will survive. I have assumed the role of lorship over all demons in the two worlds! And we shall start by sacrificing these humans. Humanity's reign over the worlds will soon be history."

I drew my battle axe and approached the demon lord.

"Not if I can help it," I said, with my companions behind me.

"Such a feisty one," he said. "I shall sacrifice these myself."

Jamiras started the attack by swinging at me. And he hit hard, almost as hard as Mudo did. I swung with my battle axe, while Hassan used the Power Up and Berserk skills, Muriel cast Increase to increase our defense, healed with Halemore and breathed fire with the Flame Breath skill, and Chamoro used the Gent Cane to heal and cast Boom. Jamiras had his own attacks, such as using his fire claw to throw fireballs, breathing fire upon us, swinging at us, or simply slashing us with the fire claw. I had to stay on my toes just to avoid the brunt of Jamiras's attacks.

The battle raged on for a long time. I could feel myself being exhausted from the constant attacks from this demon lord. I then felt a hot blast of fire.

I fell down. I was spent.

I then looked and saw Hassan charging at Jamiras.

His battle axe connected with Jamiras's chest.

The demon lord fell, mortally wounded.

"Were you the ones who killed Mudo?" he asked. "Urrgh! Master...Mmmmrr."

Jamiras fell, dead.

The petrfied people were suddenly unpetrified, and they came out of it.

"I was right," said Mahamed. "This Land of Happiness was just a lie started by demons to gather human sacrifices."

"We were lucky we came along," said Hassan. "Otherwise you'd have been sacrificed."

We saw these puffs of light heading up. These were the souls of those who were sacrificed. They were now free to leave.

"I am the Medal King," said this man who was dressed like a king. "You have broken the seal. Turn in your small medals for rewards."

And so we left the castle.

ooooooooo

When we went back to the island, we saw this old man at the steering wheel.

"I figured out how to run this thing," he said. "I'll sail us back to Calcado."

We went into the tavern.

"jamiras took over when Mudo was defeated," said one of the intended human sacrifices. "Who's gonna replace him."

"You might want to get some rest," said this old man. I agreed. I was exhausted after that fight with Jamiras.

ooooooooooooo

"Wake up," I heard.

I looked up and saw not a demon but an old man.

"The villagers said they will giveyou this island," he said. "It's the least they can do after rescuing their people."

I was elated. We could sail the dream world!

oooooooooo

Before setting sail on the oceans of the dream world, I cast Return to go to Shiena, and then headed west.

At the place where I first fell into the real world was this huge stone castle. This could only be the Medal King's castle.

The caslte had two levels. A scholar mentioned that Jamiras sealed the castle because of the treasures contained within. A slime on the upper level told us that the castle was destroyed long ago in the real world, but continued to exist in the dream world due to people's memories.

And then of course we aspoke to the Medal King himself, freed from Jamiras's imprisonment. I gave him our fifteen smal medals which we collected during our journeys.

"You have fifteen small medals," said the king. "I therefore give unto you the Staff of Punishment. Collect twenty-five medals total and you shall have the Ruby of Power."

We then left to castle and returned to Dhama Shrine.

oooooooo

We went to Dhama Shrine to change character classes. I became a Goof-Off, while Hassan became a fighter. After that, we returned to Calcado.

Upon retunring to Calcado, we boarded the floating island.

"Will this island really float on the oceans?" asked Muriel.

"If it worked for the demons," I replied. I took the steering wheel.

And we sailed off the coast of Calcado, heading out to the wide open oceans.

Not surprisingly, marine monsters attacked us in the dream world's oceans as they did in the real world's oceans. There were these marine slimes, these giant prawns, these elementals shaped like water waves, these sea ghosts, these eels, and then octopi in jars who shot arrows. Hassan's Sweep Kick skill was useful in tripping enemies, preventing them from attacking.

Anyway, we came across this small island with a hut. We set anchor next to the coastline and went inside.

"There are these four legendary armaments," said the old man living in the hut. "Your jounrey begins by walking down a staircase."

So there was another staircase. We went bnack to the floating island and sailed south, battling the sea monsters along the way.

After a few hours, we came across this island. We boarded the wagon and Falshion pulled us onto dry land.

"I see something," said Chamoro.

I saw it too. It was another staircase, heading down.

"What are we waiting for?" asked Barbara.

And so Falshion pulled the wagon down the stairs. 


	18. The Trials of Holstock

As we descended down the stairs, I could see the land from high above. There was a checkpoint in the distance. On the other side of a mountain range was this stone castle.

"Well guys," I said. "It's pretty obvious where we should go next."

The wagon reached the ground and we headed due east. Less than an hour later we reached the checkpoint. A flag flew on a flagpole, clearly visible.

"Welcome to the Kingdom of Holstock," said a guard.

"We're travelers passing through," I said.

"You know, I had a dream that I was going to this Land of Happiness, but it was a trap set by demons. These adventurers came and rescued us."

I smiled, wondering if he would have woken up without our intervention.

"We'd better spend the night," said Hassan, looking to the west as the sun was setting.

There was a small inn just on the other side of the checkpoint. I got us all a room. We all sat down on the beds.

"So what are we trying to do again?" asked Muriel.

"Find the legendary armaments," I said.

"I've heard of that," said Chamoro, lying down on his bed. "There's a sword, a shield, a helmet, and an armor. Collect all four and you can visit the castle of the gods."

"And where is this castle of the gods?" asked Barbara.

"I..I don't know."

"Still, it's amazing so many people fell for that Land of Happiness," said Hassan. "I mean, it's a more obvious scam than..than anything. I remember a few years ago when there was this real estate scam back in San Marino, something about sellin' beachfront property."

"Did you see the condition Calcado was in?" asked Muriel. "The people there were desperate. Desperate people will grasp any thread of hope."

I silently agreed. "Wel, right now we better get some sleep."

And so we did.

ooooooooooooo

The enxt morning, we all got into the wagon and headed on the path. I sat in front as Falshion pulled us along.

After going around the mountains, we saw a village.

A sign identified the village as Holcotta. It was bascially a bunch of log cabins built next to a mountainside. There were fields where food was grown, and this undeniable smell of farm animals.

We asked the people of this village about the legendary armaments. None of them ever heard of such a thing.

I did hear something that was interesting.

"I'm so bored," said this boy tending a stable. "I wish Prince Holse would come play."

"Prince Holse?" I asked.

"You know, the Prince of Holstock."

"The king wants the prince to go through this ritual baptism," said this woman, whom I presumed to be the boy's mother. "But the prince keeps running away."

"Oh, I see," I said. "Well, have a nice day."

"It's obvious what we have to do next," said Chamoro as I got on the wagon. "Maybe if we offer our assistance, we can get a lead on these legendary armaments."

ooooooooooooo

It was less than an hour after leaving Holcotta that we arrived at Castle Holstock.

It was this huge stone castle, though not as large as Reidock Castle. A flag flew from one of the towers, with the same design as the flag that flew at the checkpoint. I walked inside through the main gate.

"Hello there," said one of the guards. "you are adveturers, right?"

"That's right," I said.

"If you can spare a minute, sir, you should speak with the king. He has this small problem."

"I'll make sure."

We walked upstiars to the throne room. It was this big room, with two thrones sitting on this red carpet. A man wearing a crown and robes sat in the left throne; he appeared to be younger than the King of Reidock. I bowed before him.

"Hello there," said the king. "I am Holten, King of Holstock. I have a request for you."

"What is your request, your Majesty?" I asked.

"I am looking for someone to help my son. He must go through a ritual baptism to succeed me. But monsters have taken over the cave. Mty guards can not even clear them out."

"We will do this, sire."

"Very well then. Fetch the prince."

"At once, my lord," replied this court official.

We waited for a few minutes to meet Prince Holse. and then the minister came back.

"King!" he said. "Holse is gone again."

"We'll go find him," said Barbara.

We then went downstairs to the first floor.

"How will we find him?" asked Hassan. "This castle's a big place!"

"Well, we're not going to find him by just standing around," said Muriel. "Let's go."

And so we looked around the castle. Some of the castle staff had mentioned that Prince Holse had done this sort of thing before.

We were dealing with someone with experience. We kept looking around the castle, searhcing places like the kitche, the dining room, the armory, the storehouse, and even the royal bedchamber.

"I don't know where that boy could have gone," said Barbara.

We then came across this room. It was a large room with bookcases and a bed. A little boy was inside.

"Excuse me," I said. "Have you seen the prince? He's hiding from us."

"Holse like to play hide and seek," said the boy. "But one time, I hid in a barrel and he could not find me. He was really impressed with it."

"So you told him where you hid," said Chamoro. "Not a very good strategy."

"Well, at least we know how to narrow our search," I said.

And so we went around the castle, looking in every barrel.

When I looked at a wooden barrel in the storage room, this boy popped out. He appeared to be slightly younger than Chamoro.

"You're Prince Holse, right?" I asked.

"Yes, I am," the boy replied.

"The king summons you."

"Okay," said Holse. "I'll go see Father."

A minute later we were back in the throne room.

"I hope he was not any trouble for you," said King Holten. "Please take good care of the prince."

"We will, sire," I said.

We then headed downstairs.

"Excuse me," said Prince Holse. "I have to get something from my room."

"Okay, your Highness," I replied. And so we waited.

"You know," said Hassan after we waited a few minutes. "I think the prince has run off again."

And so we went to look for him. We searched every barrel in the castle, but it was obvious Prince Holse would not hide in the same place.

"Where is that boy?" asked Muriel.

We continued searching around the castle, and we went down into the basement level. We had not been here before. This place was darker than the upper levels, lit only by a few torches. This old man had his quarters in the castle. We then walked throuhg the underground tunnel. There seemed to be an exit; this tunnel must be some sort of emergency exit in case of fire or enemy siege.

We were greeted by the fresh air as we stepped outside. This exit opened to a ledge.

And we saw Prince Holse.

"So you found me," he said. "If I keep running away I won't be baptized and I can't succeed to the throne, and yet if I get killed by monsters I can't succeed to the throne either."

"We'll help you, Prince," I said. "We killed the demon king Mudo; we should be able to protect you from what's in the cave."

"Then let's go."

ooooooooooooooooo

The Baptismal Cave was south of Castle Holstock, about a forty minute journey. The entrance to the cave was in this gently-sloping hillside.

"Well, Prince," I said. "Let's go."

And so we entered the cave, I lit a torch to light the way, and had my battle axe equipped to deal with any threats.

"Where's the prince?" asked Barbara.

I looked around. The prince had run away!

"You know, maybe we should have put the dude in a cage or something," said Chamoro.

"Let's go back to the castle," I said.

ooooooooooooooooo

Despite searching over Castle Holstock for hours, we could not find Prince Holse.

"This is so annoying!" I said. "Why do we even bother to do this?"

"We went from killing the demon king to becoming babysitters," said Hassan.

"Maybe he's not at the castle at all," said Muriel.

"Where else could he be?" asked Barbara.

"That village we came across on our way here," said Muriel. "Didn't a boy mention playing with the prince?"

I then remembered. "Well, let's go over there," I said.

And so we did.

oooooooooooo

We then went back to Holcotta, the village to the east of Castle Holstock. The place was as busy as when we first arrived; the farmers were still plowing their fields.

"I think that's the house," said Muriel.

I went over to the little wooden house, and sure enough, Prince Holse was in there.

"You came back for me?" he asked.

"Yes, we did," I said. "You can't run away from this forever. Come on, we have a baptism to go to."

"Okay, I won't run away from this," replied the prince.

oooooooooooo

After chasing Prince Holse around, we were finally back in the Baptismal Cave. Sure enough, there were monsters inside. There were horses with these sharp horns, skeletons, stone beasts, knights, empty suits of animated armor, and little blue goblins with wings on their backs. I swung with my battle axe and used dance skills while Hassan delivered some Spirit Punches, Muriel breahred fire and toxic breath, and Chamoro cast spells like Snowblast and Firebane. Along the way, we found a chain cross.

There was this little flame creature blocking a passage.

"You are here with a member of the royal family," said the little flame creature. "You must defeat me to pass!"

And so we fought. I used to Stillness dance technique to stop this creature from dancing. Hassan used the Spirit Punch while the rest of us attacked, and Chamoro cast Healmore as needed. This creature was mostly a spellcaster, casting spells on us like Blaze, Infernos, and Firebal.

"Okay okay," said the flame creature after Hassan struck a mighty Spirit Punch. "You can pass."

We walked a few feet and then Barbara asked, "Where's the prince?"

I looked around and Prince Holse was gone!

We walked around the cave, wondering where the prince was. Surely he could not have sneaked past the flame creature. After searching for a few minutes, we found him.

"What are you doing here, Prince?" I asked.

"I didn't want to get in the way," said Prince Holse. "I'm not trying to avoid the baptism."

The prince rejoined us and we walked back to where we fought the flame creature. Soon enough, we came across this sealed door.

"Only members of the royal family may open this door," said a voice.

"My name is Holse of the Holstock Royal Line," said Prince Holse.

"Indeed, you are of the royal family. You may pass."

And so we did. We descended further into the Baptismal Cave, fighting off the monsters with our weapons, skills, and spells.

We soon came across this big horned sheep much like the silence sheep we fought near Reidock Castle.

"You must defeat me to pass," said the sheep.

Chamoro responded by casting Firebane. But the spell seemed to be reflected and it was Chamoro who got burned.

"Owww!" he yelled. "He must have some magic barrier."

"Then we'll beat him the old fashioned way," said Hassan even as he delivered another Spirit Punch.

And so we attacked, with me swinging by battle axe, Muriel using her flame breath, Hassan using the Spirit Punch, and Chamoro healing our wounds by casting Healmore. This creature attacked with its horns and used this wind slash and wpould sometimes charge up to attack. He also hypnotized me to sleep once, and I did not stir awake until he hit me. The battle lasted for a few minutes, and then the creature fell before my battle axe.

"I concede," said the creature. "You may pass."

"The prince has gone again," said Hassan.

And so we were looking for him again. It took about three minutes to find him.

"That couldn't have been easy," said Prince Holse. "I won't run off like that again."

We continued along the cave, coming across another door like the first one.

"Only members of the royal family may open this door," said this voice.

"My name is Holse of the Holstock Royal Line," said Prince Holse.

"Indeed, you are of the royal family. You may pass."

We passed through the door and continued. Along the way, we found a half plate and a small medal. We then came across this huge hoirse with a horn like the ones inhabiting this cave. It was obvious that this one was not like the others.

"You can not pass unless you defeat me," said the horse.

"I'll get out of the waty while you deal with it," said Prince Holse.

And so we drew our weapons. The creature cast Defense to lower our defense, and then attacked with its sharp horn. Muriel cast Increase to keep restoring our defense while Chamoro cast Firebane and Hassan and I swung wildly with our battle axes. This creature was real quick on its toes, and more than once did it dodge our attacks.

The creature then cast the Reflect spell, putting up this magic barrier that can reflect spells.

"That barrier's not permanent," said Chamoro. "If a weak spell is cast, we can break it and then cast a much stronger spell."

"Got it," replied Muriel.

She cast IceBolt, which broke the reflection even as the spell was cast back at her. Chamoro then followed up with the Snowblast spell. We continued battling the creature, healing as necessary. The horse then charged at Hassan, who then sidestepped and then struck wildly with the axe. The horse lay on its side, critically wounded.

"You may pass," said the horse.

"There you are," said Prince Holse. "Shall we go?"

We then walked up to the last door.

"Only members of the royal family may open this door," said this voice.

"My name is Holse of the Holstock Royal Line," said Prince Holse.

"Indeed, you are of the royal family. You may pass."

When we passed this door, we found ourselves at the shore of an underground pool fed by this waterfall. This priest was there.

"Welcome to the baptismal spring, member of the Holstock family," said the priest.

"I am here foer the baptism," said the prince.

"Indeed, lad. Walk under the waterfall."

Prince Holse waded across the water and stood under the waterfall. I noticed he was shaking. About a minute later, he emerged.

"So cold," he shiveringly said.

"That's it," I said. "We should return to the castle."

And so we did.

oooooooooooo

We immediately went back to the throne room of Castle Holstock where King Holten was waiting.

"I did it," said Prince Holse.

"I congratulate you for completing the trial," said the king. "You may take the throne whenever you are ready."

"I will have to learn more before I can take the throne, Father," replied the prince.

"How about we throw a celebration?" asked the queen.

And so they did.

ooooooooooo

The celebration was held that night on a balcony. Food and refreshments were served on cloth-covered tables.

"Always a great night for a party, eh dude?" asked Hassan.

"Yeah," I replied, sipping my punch. I recalled having attended a banquet like this before. "It wasn't that long ago I was his age."

"I'm only a year older than the prince," said Chamoro. "I clearly remember what it's like, transitioning from boy to man, finding out what girls are really for."

"Don't we all, kid," replied Hassan. "Don't we all."

"Uh, Muriel," asked Barbara, "where were you from?"

"Where I'm from?" replied Muriel. "I..I really don't want to talk about it."

"I wish I could remember."

"Maybe you will, just like Hassan remembered when he reunited with his real world self."

oooooooooooooo

The next morning, we met with King Holten.

"Thank you for what you did for Prince Holse," said the king. "You must be appropriately rewarded. You may keepo any treasure you found in our cave. and you may have this." He handed me this key. "I know it will be useful in your journeys. Take care."

"Thank you, my lord," I replied.

We went outside, hopped onto the wagon, and then left Castle Holstock.

oooooooooooo

A few hours after leaving the castle, we came across this small hut in the middle of an island. There was this hand-painted wooden sign near the hut.

DANGER- Off -Limits

"Wonder what's in here?" asked Hassan.

I approahced the door and unlocked it with the Magic Key. Entering the hut, there was a well inside, and this creature coming out of the well. We quickly killed the beast.

The well had this strange green glow.

"It's your call," said Muriel.

I peered into the strange glow, and was whisked away to the dream world. 


	19. The Flying Bed of Clear Vale

We found ourselves in this dark place. The only light came from high above. I looked and saw a rope, so we all climbed it.

We emerged into this clearing. The sky above was blue. The trees had that green tint consistent with trees of the dream world.

Falshion and the wagon were waiting for is topside.

"How did Falshion get here?" asked Hassan.

"I've no idea," I replied. "Let's see if anyone's around."

We all got into the wagon and Falshion pulled us.

As we traveled along, we were attacked by enemies such as jesters, horned horses, and animated lamps. Hassan used his Sweep Kick skill to trip the enemies and prevent them from attacking us, while I used the Death Dance skill to kill some of the enemies outright. We pulled through, and soon enough we saw a town ahead.

Reaching the town, we parked the wagon outside. We entered into this town square with a public fountain in the center. The town square was paved with brick.

"Hello there," said this little girl. "Welcome to Clear Vale, the town famous for its flying bed."

"Flying bed?" I asked.

"I think we better check this out," said Muriel.

And so we walked about town. We asked more about the flying bed. I learned that the flying bed was seen coming from an empty house at the northeast corner of town, and that it has not been out for a while. I wondered what had happened.

"I think that's it," said Chamoro. "We're not gonna make any progress staying here. Of course, a flying bed would be pretty cool. Imagine what one can do."

"You'd probably fall off," said Barbara.

Chamoro was right; we had to go. We first went to Dhama Shrine and Barbara changed her class to wizard, having maxed out her abilities as a priest. We next paid a visit to the Medal King to receive a Ruby of Power; we had collected twenty-five small medals. We then went back to Clear Vale to purchase weapons and armor. We bought a Sword of Slumber for me, a Holy Sword for Muriel, a giant hammer for Hassan, a steel whip for Barbara, suits of silver mail for me and Hassan, silver breastpaltes for Muriel and Barbara, and magic shields for me, Hassan, and Chamoro. We then set off from Clear Vale, hoping to find some more information about the flying bed.

After a coiple of hours of fighting off monsters, we came across this staircase leading to the real world. It was obvious what we had to do, so we guided Falshion to pulling us down the staircase. When we reacjhed the bottom, I looked at the Magic Map; we were somewhere we had never been before.

We headed east and corssed a river, fighting monsters along the way.

"Look," said Hassan. "weren't we there before?"

I could see buildings a few milkes ahead, that was clearly Clear Vale. My spirits went up. Perhaps the real world Clear Vale had more clues about this flying bed.

The town looks the same as its dream world counterpart. There was still the brick-paved town square with its public fountains.

"Excuse me, sir," I asked this man sitting at the fountain, "do you know anything about the flying bed."

"Flying bed?" he asked. "What have you been smoking? Or did you have some really bad mushrooms?"

We asked some other people about the flying bed, but all we got were blank stares. I did hear about this traveling actor named Panon, who was a hit with the children of Clear Vale.

"Maybe the priest would know something," said Muriel, directing us to the Clear Vale church.

It was a small church. The altar was in the back, and there were some pews facing towards the altar. I noticed a priest speaking to this couple who appeared to be in their early thirties.

"Father," said the woman. "Was my son, John, happy?"

"He's in a better place now," replied the priest.

"Why diod he have to leave us at such a young age?" asked the man.

Hearing those words made feelings in my heart stir. I felt as if I had experienced this sort of thing before.

After the couple left, I said, "We should talk to those people."

And so we did. We found their house at the northeast corner of town. In fact, it was the counterpart of the house in the dream world where the flying bed was said to have come out of.

The couple was sitting in the kitchen when I went inside.

"Who are you?" asked the man.

I introduced myself. "I'm a traveler," I said. "I saw you at the church."

"My name is Margot and this is my husband Harris," said the woman. "We recently buried our son John."

"I'm sorry," I said. I really did feel for them.

"A few weeks ago this traveling actor Panon was in town," said Harris. "He staged a one-man play for the children. John loved him. Panon promised to retrieve the badge of courage from the Wall of Destiny, but he never came back. I just wish that he could have gotten the badge for John before...before his passing."

"I'll get the badge for you," I said. "I..I can relate to how you feel. I don't know how, I just do."

"We can't ask for this," said Margot. "The Wall of Destiny is dangerous."

"Ma'am, I feel as if I have to do this."

"I wish you luck whatever you choose to do," said Harris.

I left the house.

"We're going to the Wall of Destiny," I said.

"What for?" asked Chamoro.

ooooooooooooooooo

"You know, you are very kind, doing this for that family," said Barbara as we were riding in the wagon.

"I can't remember what happened, but I feel as if I had gone through what they did," I replied.

"Maybe you had a parent or grandparent whom you loved very much who died," said Muriel.

"I guess so. What about your family?"

"I...I really don't want to talk about it," she answered.

"Okay then."

Soon enough, we reached the Wall of Destiny. It was a tall cliff face.

"Wow," said Hassan. "That is one steep cliff."

Inside a small cave was this priest. He stood near some graves.

"These are graves for people who fell off the cliff," he said. "You won't make it far without the golden pickaxe."

"This could be dangerous," said Chamoro.

"More dangerous than fighting the demon lord Mudo?" I asked. "We've a wall to climb."

And so we climbed the wall. Of course, in addition to gravity, there were other enemies. There were fairy dragons, big bloated dragons, giant hornets, and giant moths. I swung my Sword of Slumber and used goof-off tricks, Hassan used the Spin Kick skill to take out groups of enemies, while Muriel used the Flame Breath to burn enemies and the Stun Breath to stun enemie, and Chamoro cast spells like Firebane and Snowblast. It was a long climb up, and we all made sure we did not look down.

Climbing the wall also meant going inside these tunnels. One of the tunnels was blocked by a pile of rocks.

"Let me handle this," said Hassan, flexing his muscles. He tried and tried to move the rocks, but he could not. "They're stuck together."

"We need that gold pickaxe," said Muriel.

We tried to find a way to ascend the wall using the ledges jutting from the side. But despite our search, we could not find an alternate route upwards. The priest was right; we needed that pickaxe.

"This is pointless," said Barbara. "Where is this pickaxe?"

"It is getting dark," said Chamoro.

"Maybe it's somewhere so obvious that we overlooked it," I said. "I mean..."

We were then attacked by the bloated dragons. I swung my sword at one of them, and miussed. My footing was loose, and the dragon slammed into me.

I felt weightless, and realized I had fallen off.

I had to think quick or else I would be dead.

I saw a ledge, so I extended my arms and then grabbed hold of it. It hurt my hands a lot. But I guess I would be hurt much more terribly if I hit the ground.

I noticed there was a cave entrance, so I went in. Ther air inside was cool, and I sat down to rest.

I noticed a treausre chest. I opened it and saw this shiny pointed object.

It was the golden pickaxe!

I headed out and climbed my way back up. I soon joined up wityh the others.

"I did it!" I said. "I found the pickaxe!"

"Thank God," said Hassan. "We thought you died."

After scaling the cliff, we found that cave where the pile of rocks was.

"Here goes nothing," I said, swining the golden pickaxe at the rocks. The rocks came loose, and soon an opening was established. We all squeezed through the opening, even Hassan.

We continued our ascent up the Wall of Destiny, occasionally knocking down rocks with the golden pickaxe. After what seemed to be an hour of heavy climbing, we reached the top. There were some grass and trees and this huge rock.

"I wonder where this badge of courage is?" asked Muriel.

"Maybe we should chip that huge rock," suggested Chamoro.

And so I did, chipping away a piece of rock with the golden pickaxe. I looked at the rock shard.

We then returned to Clear Vale.

oooooooooooooooooo

We arrived in Clear Vale just as the sun was setting. I immediately went to the home of Harris and Margot.

"You've come back," said Harris.

"I've climbed the Wall of Destiny and retrieved the Badge of Courage," I said, presenting the rock shard.

"Thank you," said Harris.

"We really appreciate it," said Margot. "Do you have a place to stay tonight?"

"Not really," I replied.

"You can sleep in John's room," said Margot. "No one's using it."

Harris and Margot led me to this bedroom on the upper floor. It was a little messy with children's toys layout about.

I was very exhasuted after climbing that Wall of Destiny. I was soon asleep.

ooooooooooo

When I woke up, I noticed the bed was levitating.

"What the hell?" I asked.

Then this ghostly image of a boy appeared.

"My name is John," said the ghost. "I don't need this bed anymore. You can have it. Thank you for what you did for my parents."

The bed then flew out the window. I looked down at the town of Clear Vale. Some of its residents waved at me.

The flying bed flew again!

And so I headed off to the east.

ooooooooooooooo

I saw a cave just east of Clear Vale, across the lake, so I landed the bed and went inside.

The cave had one chamber, and there was this man dressed in armor.

"I'm looking for the Shield of Sufida," he said. "Butr it may be impossible. "First go north. At the T-intersection, go East. Turn north at the first intersection, take the next intersection to the west, and then continue south. It is an old saying, but it's a very clouded story and I'm thinking of giving up already."

I decided to write it on a notepad.

oooooooooooo

I picked up the others from the real world. For somwe reason, the flying bed can not fly in the real world, so I could only explore the dream world with this bed.

"This is so awesome," said Chamoro. "Pretty cool way to pick up a date."

we paid a quick visit to Dhama Shrine, with Muriel becoming a thief and Chamoro becoming a priest. After that, we all hopped onto the bed, which was big ebnough to carry the wagon, and we flew over the open ocean. We recognized landmarks, like the island where the stairs to Holstock was located, and the island that served as Mudo's dream world headquarters.

At one time, we found something unusual.

There was a hole in the ocean! The water was draining out.

"The oceans will be drained away if something isn't done about that hole," said Muriel. "I wonder what was there."

"It looks familiar," said Barbara, looking at the world map.

After flying around, we spotted a hut nestled in the valley. I landed the bed and entered the hut.

Inside the hut wad this woman in a robe; she was a fortune teller.

"Would you like your fortune told, young man?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am," I replied.

"Far north of here, beyond the sea, lies a well," said the fortune teller.

I immedaitely climbed back onto the bed and flew north, over the ocean.

"There's the well," I said, looking down at this well located not far from the coastline just soutn of Amoru. "I wonder what is down there."

I landed the bed and we got out and climbed down the well. to our surprise, there was a house at the bottom. This man lived inside the house.

"Ah, travelers," he said.

"What are you doing down here?" I asked.

"Nice place to live and its cheap."

"Must be very lonely out in the middle of nowhere," said Hassan.

"Below here is Foan Castle," said the man. "It's well known for its princess in the mirror."

"Princess in the mirror?" asked Muriel.

"It's worth checking out," I said.

We left the house and there was a well next to it. Imagine that, a well inside a well. As we looked into it, this beast came out and we quickly dispatched it with our weapons.

"Let's find out more about this princess in the mirror," I said.

I looked into the well, and was transported to the real world. 


	20. The Princess in the Mirror

"Looks like we're here," said Chamoro.

I looked and saw the great stone castle standing before us; a bronze plaque identified it as Foan Castle. We had gotten here a few hours after emerging from a well in the real world.

We went inside and I asked a staffer if he heard of the princess in the mirror.

"Of course I know about it," said the man. "The previous king used to show it to visitors. I guess you are here to see it."

"Of course," I replied.

"The new king put a stop to that when he was crowned."

We went upstairs to the throne room. Perhaps the king could shed light on this subject.

Some importamnt-looking man dressed in rick clothing stood inside the throne room.

"Excuse me, sir," I said. "I would like to know more about this princess in the mirror."

"We've had this mirror for generations," said the minister. "The king is in the basement. You might want to see him."

"Okay," I said.

We headed down towards the basement. The basement was not as well-decorated as the rest of the castle. There was a guard standing in front of the door.

"No one is allowed inside while the king is in there," he said.

"I'd like to speak with him when he leaves," I replied.

I could hear faint voices coming from the other side of that door. I had leanred to listen intensively, after my experiences in various caves throughout the world.

The door opened ands this man came out, dressed in fine clothes. He was a lot younger than the king of Reidock, perhaps in his late twenties.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I'm an adventurer traveling the world, sire," I replied. "I have heard of the princess in the mirror."

"You may not see the princess," said the king. "If you have other business you may speak with me in the throne room."

We went upo to the throne room, where the King of Foan sat on his throne.

"We just want to see the princess," I said.

"There is nothing for you to see down there," the king replied. "It is best if you continue on your travels."

"I guess that's that then," I said, turning to leave.

"Wait a minute," said the king. "I've a request."

"What is it, your Majesty?" I asked.

"Have you, by any chance, heard of the Mirror of Ra?"

"The Mirror of Ra," said Barbara. "We have the Mirror of Ra, my lord."

"Please, show it to me."

Barbabra showed him the mirror.

"We'll go down to the basement then," said the king.

"That was really throughrtful fo you to bring the mirror," said Muriel.

"A mirror that can hold a princess," replied Barbara. "I figured why not bring a magic mirror of our own. Maybe we can find the truth of this situation."

We headed back into the basement and entered this room. It was bare except for this mirror mounted in the back. The mirror itself looked very much like those haunted mirrors back at the Mirror Tower, the ones which could cast Mimic and mimic us.

The image behind the mirror was that of a young woman with blond hair, wearing this fancy gown.

"I hope this works," I said.

I lifted up the Mirror of Ra. Nothign happened so far with the princess in the mirror.

Looking into the Mirror of Ra, I could see the relfection of the princess in the mirror.

And I could see some shadowy figure behind her, like a demon.

oooooooooo

"A long time ago, a princess fell in love with a prince of Foan Castle," said the king. "But the magician Miralgo interfered."

"So Miralgo put her in the mirror?" I asked.

"Probably. there aren't many details. Communicating with the princess inside is difficult as we apparently can't hear each other."

"There was a tower in the lake north of the castle," said the minister. "To open the door, cast the spell Identify. But the tower fell long before any of us were born."

"We'd better check it out," I said.

oooooooooooo

After purhcashing two suits of thick armor and leaving Foan Castle, we headed north, fighting monsters who stood in our way. In the middle of the lake was a well. Gpoing down, we met this old man.

"Do you know anything about the tower that was here?" I asked.

"It fell before even I was born," replied the old man. "But I still dream of it. It stands in an ocean of sand."

It was clear to us we had to go back to the dream world.

ooooooooooooo

We went to Dhama Shrine and used the well there to go to the dream world. We changed character classes in the shrine. I changed into the superstar class, and Muriel changed into the thief class. We then went to the Medal King's castle to receive a platinum sword from him. After that, we got onto the flying bed and flew towards the desert which was southwest of Dhama Shrine.

The tower stuck up from the desert like an excited man in a strip club. It was apparently made of sandstone. I noticed that it was in very good repair.

We landed the bed just in front of the door to the tower.

"What are you waiting for?" asked Hassan.

I cast Identify, and the door opened just as the minister in Foan said it would.

We all then entered the tower. As we climbed up the tower, enemies attacked us. There were winged snakes, haunted mirrors which could cast Mimic and copy us, fighting panthers that had steel claws and could do these martial arts moves, giant fat bloated dragons, huge purple lizards that could cast Chaos and confuse us, fire-breathing wyverns, and demons riuding on skeleton beasts. Muriel's Stun Breath skill was useful in paralyzing these enemies, and Hassan's Spirit Punch literally knocked these monsters to the floor.

There was not much to the tower; the onkly notable feature was this spiral staircase which we clumb. After about half an hour we reached the top of the tower. A small house stood on the roof of the tower.

"Let's go," I said, brandishing my sword of slumber.

Entering the house, the interior was centerpieced by this huge iron cauldron. This man wearing a turban abnd a robe stood inside the room.

"Miralgo, I presume?" I asked.

"What do you want?" asked the wizard.

"I command that you release the princess in the mirror."

"Release her? She who spurned me after I comforted her? She refused to be my bride, so I trapped her in that mirror. The only way you can make me release her is to kill me."

"Then that is what I shall do."

"It is you who shall die first!" yelled Miralgo.

He summoned these two demons and then cast Reflect.

I immedaitley did the Chaos Dance to confuse these two demons, which looked like men riding on clouds. One of them attacked Miralgo.

"What are you doing?" yelled the wizard.

As I kept the demons confused with the Chaos Dance, Hassan powered up and delivered the Spirit Punch, Muriel breathed the Flame Breath while Chamoro provided the healing. Miralgo attacked us with his wicked-looking scythe and cast spells at us, even the powerful spell Explodet, which did hurt a lot. I did thank God that Chamoro was there to heal us.

The battle continued on. I saw an opening, and thrust my sword of slumber right into him.

"Defeated," said Miralgo. "I can't..believe it."

He then fell, a pool of blood spreading around.

"Let's head back to Foan Castle," I said.

oooooooooooooo

Going back to the real world and back to Foan Castle, we went tio the room with the mirror.

"It's you," said the King of Foan. "Did you take care of Miralgo?"

"Yes, my lord," I replied. "He is dead."

"Let me try this incantation." the king mumbled something in some obscure language.

"Erika!" he yelled.

The mirror flashed, and then the princess fell out.

"It's you," she said. "I'm out."

"Erika," said the king. "I've waited for this. These people killed Miralgo. Without that I would not have been able to release you."

"I am Princess Erika," said the lady. "Thank you for freeing me. "

"You are welcome, my lady," I replied.

"Will you marry me?" asked the king.

"Yes, I will," replied the princess.

oooooooooooooo

We were back in the throne room, where Princess Erika explained the situation.

"My beloved died," she said. "Afterwards, Miralgo came. He was charming, and comforted me. He was just a friend. When I refused his advances, he trapped me in the mirror and told me I will not leave until I agreed to be his bride. But now I am free."

"A lot has changed in the past few centuries," said the king. "I must give a reward for these fine adventurers."

"What will it be, your Majesty?" I asked.

"I shall give you the Watergate Key," said the king. "You can use it to unlock the Watergate."

"I thank you," I said, taking the huge key.

oooooooooooooo

We were on the Ship of God, sailing through this narrow strait with high cliffs on both sides.

"It's such an interesting story," said Barbara. "I mean, imagine being trapped in a mirror and all that."

"It must have been frustrating," said Chamoro. "To see this lady and not being able to touch her."

"There's the Watergate," said Muriel.

We anchored the ship right next to the Watergate. I got out and walked to the gate. there was a huge keyhole where the watergate key could fit.

Inserting th ekey, I turned the key.

The huge iron gates swung wide open.

I got back onto the wooden ship. "Let's go," I said. "To the seas beyond." 


	21. Rob and the Mermaid

"I see land," said Chamoro, peering through the spyglass.

Standing on the deck of the Ship of God, I peered through the spyglass and saw a small village nestled against some hills; the buildings appeared to be made of wood. It was obvious where we would go next.

We docked the ship next to this wooden pier. This man came to greet us.

"Welcome to Pescani village," he said. "Are you here to trade for fish?"

"We;re just exploring this world," I said.

"Why have you come here?" asked the man. "To see the mermaids?"

"Uh, no," I said.

"We don't have all that much fish, but we will trade if your brought along plenty of food with you."

"Maybe we should trade some of our gold for some fresh fish," said Hassan. "I'm gettin' tired of salted meats."

We walked around the village. The people lived in wooden huts and grew vegetables in their gardens. SDpeaking to the villagewrs, we learned that sea monsters had been eating the fish and as such fish was an expensive rarity, with one small fish trading for a week's harvest of fresh vegetables. It was clear that we would have to offer a lot of gold just for one fish to be divided among all of us.

"Did you speak to Rob?" asked a woman.

"Who?" I asked.

"I saw him speak to you when you got off your ship," said the lady.

"What about him?" asked Muriel.

"What happened? Oh, he's in love, but...oh nevermind."

The lady then went on her way.

"We should stick around here for a while," said Barbara. "To find out more about the mermaids. Last I knew, there weren't mermaids around the waters here."

"Maybe they migrated here for some reason," suggested Chamoro.

We went to this wooden building which was the fish store; a sign indicated how expensive the fish were.

"You have any fish for sale?" I asked.

"No," replied the merchant who was standing behind the wooden counter. "Where is that guy?"

He then left the store. I figured I might as well follow him.

The merchant entered one of the houses. I peeked through the door, which was ajar.

"I can't wait forever, Rob," said the merchant to the man inside the house, who had greeted us earlier this day. the merchant then left.

"What was that about?" I asked, entering the house.

"None of your business," replied Rob. "Now get out."

And so I did. I then saw Rob leave his home. I followed him from a distance. He went inside a cave in the hillside.

The cave inside was dark; the only light came from a torch that Rob was holding. I kept my distance, staying in the shadows.

A few minutes later, I saw Rob standing before this rock wall. I heard this sound. A seconds later, I heard that same sound again.

Rob was gone, nowhere to be seen.

I lit a torch and walked to the wall and felt around. I could see some protrusion from the rock. I hit it, and then I heard the sound.

I looked and saw a door open up.

It led to this huge chamber which apparently had this underwater bay. I saw Rob speaking to this lady with a fish tail below her waist.

That lady was clearly a mermaid!

rob and the mermaid both looked at me, startled. The mermaid dove underwater.

"You," said Rob, "I thought you were following me! Now I can't let you leave."

"Chill out," I said.

"you didn't see anything, right?"

"No, I did see something."

"Please," said Rob. "Please don't tell anyone about the mermaid...about Denae."

"Okay," I said.

"Really, you won;t tell anyone about Denae?"

"I won't say a word."

"Denae was separated from her friends during a storm," said Rob. "She saved my life. I was injured and I can't go fishing. She wants to go home, but can't make it because of the monsters. If only someone had a ship."

"We have a ship," I said. "We can take her home."

"Bring it here; this cave should be big enough."

I left the cave and got back onto the Ship of God.

"there should be a cave entrance next to ther ocean not far from here," I said.

"Okay," replied Chamoro, taking the steering wheel. "I'll get on it."

We raised anchor and sailed right near the coastline. Not far from Pescani, I saw a huge cave entrance, more than big enough for the Ship of God. Chamoro steered the ship into the cave.

"That's your boat," said Rob, who was staning near the water.

"That's right," I said, hollering from the deck of the ship.

"Please escort Denae home."

The mermaid surfaced. "I don;t want to leave you, Rob," she said.

"I only want what's best for you," replied Rob. "Please go with them."

The mermaid swam to where our boat was. "My name is Denae," she said. "I live to the east."

"We'll take you there, miss," I replied.

We raised anchor and sailed out of the cave and towards the east.

oooooooooooooooo

"At least that Rob fellow took care of her," said Hassan as he stood on the deck.

"She's finally coming home," said Barbara. "to her family. What about your family?"

"My family?" I asked. The only family I could remember was Tania, and she turned out to be the figment of someone's nighttime imagination. And yet, I wondered why I sometimes dreamed of her and Lifecod. "Well, I really can't remember."

"Maybe there's some statue of you in the world," said Muriel. "Hassan got his memories back when he found his statue."

I looked at the map. We were still far from where Denae said her people were.

ooooooooooooo

"Over there," said Denae. "that's my home. I wonder if they're still there."

I looked ahead and saw some rocks jutting from the water. This place was just east of Mudo's castle.

We sailed up there and weighed anchor next to the shoals. I could see ripples coming from the water' I hoped what was there were mermaids, and not giant sea monsters.

Denae swam over there. "Wait, Dina, everyone!" she yelled. "It's me, Denae!"

One of the mermaids surfaced. "Denae," she said, "you're back. We thought you werew captured by humans or even eaten by sea monsters."

"Nit all humans are bad," replied Denae. "One of them fed me and sheltered me. And the humans on this ship protected me as we sailed home."

The other mermaid swam up to the ship. "I am Dina, chief of this mermaid clan," she said. "I thank you for bringing our sister home. It is my duty to reward you. Here." the mermaid chieftan presented a harp.

"Cool," I said. "Maybe we can start a band or something."

"This Mermaid Harp will allow you to submerge and explore underwater," said Dina. "There are bound to be great treasures down there, but fierce monsters also swim underwater."

And so she gave us the Mermaid Harp.

"What are we waiting for?" asked Chamoro. "Let';s play the harp."

"And so I did, playing a tune from the Mermaid Harp. The sea frothed from under the ship, and suddenly this bubble encased the ship.

And we sank down. 

I looekd around. I could see fish and squid and octopi swimming about. The bottom of the sea had strange plant life. this was like another world.

"Shall we set sail?" I asked.

"Sure," replies Chamoro. And so we set sail underwater.

Suddenly, these monsters attacked. The enemy party consisted of two octopi sitting in jars, armed with crossbows, a man o' war jellyfish, a one-eyed fish, and an underwater snake. I drew my Sword of Slumber and attacked. With our weapons and skills, we made short work of these fools. Chamoro healed us with his Gent Cane after the battle was over.

We continued sailing, ebing attacked by monsters on occasion. About twenty minutes after leaving the mermaids' lair, we spotted an underwater castle.

"I wonder who's there," said Muriel.

"I hope they're friendly," replied Barbara.

We sailed the ship through the castle entrance and docked inside. The main room had a floor paved with stone, and huge columns supported the ceiling above. A woman sat on the throne. I wondered if she was some queen or noblewoman.

"My name is Rubiss," said the lady. "I am guardian of the world, as well as the mountain spirit of Lifecod."

"My lady," I said.

"It was I who restored you after the battle with Mudo, and I made the flute that summoned the dragon."

Muriel held up the flute she used to summon that dragon that flew us to Mudo's castle. "It was useful, my lady," she replied.

"We seem to have done well," said Hassan.

"This is so awesome," said Chamoro. "I never thought I'd meet Rubiss."

"We're looking for the legendary equipment," said Barbara. "do you have any tips."

"There is even a stronger power that threatens the world," said Rubiss. "Be careful."

As we boarded the Ship of God to explore more of the underwater world, I kept wondering who or what this stronger power is.

oooooooooooo

As we were sailing underwater, I looked at the map.

"I think I'm on to something," I said. "Sail north and west."

"Okay," said Chamoro, turning the wheel.

We fought off monsters as we sailed. Muriel was able to steal some items from the monsters before we killed them. I made sure to keep an eye on the landmarks.

"I think we're here," I said. "We'd better surface."

"How wopuld we dop that, mate?" asked Hassan.

I plated a tune on the harp., and the ship rose up. The light above became brighter and brighter.

And then the sky appeared. I could see gulls flying above.

"What's up here?" asked Muriel.

"Look to the south," I said.

this huge, tall mountain was to the south, visible from even here. I looked trhgouh the spyglass, seeing buildings on top.

"There it is," I said. "That's Lifecod!"

"We going there?" asked Chamoro.

"You bet."

And so we set sail, to find out the truth behind Lifecod village. 


	22. Back to Lifecod For the First Time

"There's a house over there," said Hassan. "Maybe we can ask that fellow some questions."

I agreed. Falshion pulled the wagon to the house and we all got off.

We had sailed here on the Ship of God after seeing a mountain that looked just like the one which held Lifecod village in the dream world. After setting anchor at the coastline, and riding the wagon here, we decided to stop at this house.

North of the house was the mountain, which looked very much like the mountain where Lifecod was located.

The house was a simple, one-room structure. An old man slept in the bed.

"Excuse me, sir," I said. "Do you have any information on Lifecod?"

"Lifecod?" asked the man. "It's that village on top of that mountain over there. You know, I dreamed of this town where merechants would gather to sell their wares. I once wanted top build such a place. But I'll never be able to finish it."

"Thanks for the info," I said.

Going back to the wagon, I came across this soldier. His uniform was that of the Reidock Royal Army.

"Excuse me," said the soldier. "I am a soldier from Reidock and we are looking for the missing prince." He showed me a sketch.

"He does look familiar," I said.

"We found a boy who looked just like the prince living on a village at the top of this mountain. But he must have been the impostor prince; there is no way such a coward could be the Prince of Reidock."

I got into the wagon and we set forth towards the mountain.

"So what's so special about this Lifecod place?" asked Chamoro.

"After my first encounter with Mudo, he bansihed me into the dream world," I replied. "I woke up in this village called Lifecod. I had a sister there, and apparently everyone there knew me. I still dream of Lifecod, sometimes. I want to find out what's over there."

"It is a good idea," said Muriel.

We began our ascent up the mountain. The place looked just as I remembered.

Suddenly, these hobbits carrying huge shields appeared; they were all armed with swords. We immediately attacked them and made short work with them.

Then I heard someone call my name.

I looked and saw this red-haired girl. I recognized her as Judy, the daughter of the Elder of Lifecod.

"Hi Judy," I said.

"You feeling all right?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah."

"Where's Rand. Wasn't he with you?"

"Uh, no."

"He doesn't seem to like you that much; he thinks you're getting between him and Tania. He's acted like that ever since Tania found you here wounded."

"Okay," I replied. "I guess I'll see you later."

We continued up the mountain. Some slimes and rock creatures attacked us. We took care of the slimes easily, and the rocks were much more difficult to destroy. Finally, there was one rock left, and it cast this spell.

Suddenly, the slimes and the other rocks all came back to life, while the spellcasting rock died.

"That's the GiveLife spell," says Barbara. "It revives allies at the expense of your own life."

"Perfect," I said, swinging my Sword of Slumber. "What will it take?"

We dispatched the enemies again after some spellcasting and skill-using. We then continued our ascent of the mountain.

As we got near the summit, I saw two people talking.

"How long are you going to keep up this charade with Tania?" asked this young man.

I looked and saw that he was Rand.

"What's wrong?" asked the person he was talking to. "Tania doesn't mind me living here. I'm still recovering."

That voice somehow sounded familiar.

He then turned his face. For a moment I could not breathe.

He looked exactly like me!

"What is going on?" asked Chamoro.

"We'd better just stay quiet and listen," I replied.

"You're not one of us," said Rand. "You're just a visitor, and visitors have to move on."

"But I've got nowhere else to go," my other self said.

Rand then turned to go to Lifecod. After a moment, my other self also left.

We then climed to the summit.

"You guys better wait here," I said, standing just at the town limits. "I'll go find out more about this other me."

"We'll be right here if you need help," said Hassan.

"Be careful," said Muriel. "That could be a demon."

I entered the village of Lifecod. It looked exactly as I remembered it. I even remembered all of the villagers.

"Didn't you just come in with Rand?" asked a boy, confused.

"Uh, yeah," I said. "I just stepped out for a while."

I figured the first person I'd talk to would be Rand. If I remembered correctly, he would be at the inn.

I went to a room upstairs. Sure enough, Rand was in his room.

"Why are you here?" he asked. "Are you here for Tania?"

"Not really," I said.

"Are you going to fight me?"

"Fight you? No, I won't."

"You're just a coward as I thought."

I left the inn; there was one place I must go.

Tania's house. My first clear memory was waking up there from a horrid nightmare.

The inside of the house looked as I remembered it, with a wooden floor, a kitchen to the left, and a bedroom with two beds to the right.

And sitting in the room was Tania, who looked just as I remembered her, with her blue hair.

"Hi, brother," said Tania. "Uh, did I just call you brother?"

"Yes," I said.

"I guess that's how I feel. I know Rand has been on your case ever since I took you in, but just ignore him."

I sat on the bed. "How did you find me, anyway?"

"You were wounded on the side of a cliff. Ypou kept bablbling about some demon king. You were bedridden for a week. You couldn't remember anything aside from your name, so the Elder decided to let you live here. Did you recover your memories?"

"No, not really," I asked.

I looked into the drawer that was presumably the one my other self was using. I saw royal clothes inside.

"I'll go see the Elder," I said.

"Okay," replied Tania.

I walked on over to the Elder's house. The interior looked the same as before.

"Welcome," said the Elder of Lifecod. "I see you're wounds have healed, but your memories are still pretty bad."

"I know," I replied. "I really do want to remember whom I am."

"Perhaps you should spend more time with Tania. You know she lost her parents when she was young; she told you that, right?"

"I recall hearing something like that, sir."

"She looks at you like a big brother."

I went back to her house.

"You saw the Elder, right?"

"Yeah," I replied. "I just still can't remember."

"Listen, maybe you can talk to the Elder again."

So I went back to the Elder's house. Goiung isndie, I can hear him talking to someone.

I looked and saw that he was talking to my other self.

I could see the look of shock on his face.

"What?" he asked. "Two of you. I must be getting sick."

The Elder retired to his bed.

"My other self turned and looked into my direction.

"You," he stammered. "You-you're me!"

Suddenly, we were sparkling.

I knew what this was. The same thing happened with Hassan when he found his statue back at Mudo's castle.

Suddenly, my other self ran away.

I had only one choice.

I immediately left the house. I looked around the village. But I could not find my other self.

Going out of the village, I got back with the others.

"Huh?" asked Hassan. "We just saw you leave. Are you you?"

"That other person," I said. "That's my real-world self. Hassan, remember when you fused with that statue? The same thing was happening when I caught up with him. But then he left before we could fuse. We've got to find him. Now!"

ooooooooooooooo

We searched the mountain for what seemed to be many, many minutes. We had to fight off some monsters along the way.

"Where is he?" asked Muriel.

"He could be anywhere in this mountain," said Barbara.

We finally caught up with him, inside one of the mountain's caves.

"There you are," he said.

"We've been looking all over for you," said Chamoro.

"I think I know what this means," said my other self. "We're actually one person, at least we were until we confronted Mudo. Mudo separated us. I think we have to rejoin, but I don't know."

"Know what?" I asked.

"Will you be me, will I be you, or will we become a completely different person. I'm afraid that I won't exist if we rejoin."

Suddenly, a boy called out my name.

"Monsters are attacking the village!" yelled the boy.

"Monsters?" my other self asked. "Oh no! Tania!"

And then he ran off.

"We'd better go back to Lifecod," I said.

The others silently agreed with me. 

ooooooooooooooo

The first thing I noticed when we returned to Lifecod was the fire.

Most of the buildings were on fire.

The villagers were engaged in combat with the monsters who had invaded the village.

I drew my Sword of Slumber; none of us had to say anything. 

We spotted a farmer attacking these two monsters. One of them was this huge green troll armed with a club; the other was this blue bipedal reptile with a wicked-looking axe.

Chamoro cast Increase to raise our defense and Hassan and I attacked while Muriel used sweet breath to put the two monsters to sleep. That troll hit us hard with his wooden club, and Chamoro had to heal us with healall. But we persevered, and the monsters fell.

"That was tough," said Hassan.

"Maybe we should head to the church," said Barbara.

And so we did. the priest was there with the villagers who were either too old or too young to fight; I noticed that he was the same priest who presided over the Spirit Festival so long ago.

"May God be with you," he said.

We suddenly felt energized; the priest had restored our strength.

We then went out of the church to mop up the floor with these monsters. We made sure to raise our defense with the Increase spell.

After killing some of the monsters, we went to the Elder's house and dispatched the troll and the reptile-creature there.

"Do you know what these monsters want?" I asked.

"They're apparently after you," replied the Elder.

After me? I knew where I had to go.

We all went to Tania's house.

"You," said Rand. "I thought you were in there with Tania."

"No time to explain, Rand."

And we all went in.

Inside the house, there was this four-armed demon, and he was battling my other self! Tania stood in the corner.

My other self was fighting valiantly with his sword, parrying the demon's blows.

But even that was not enough. The demon delivered a savage attack, knocking my other self to his feet.

"Now you die!" yelled the demon.

But then Hassan got into the way, parrying the demon's killing blow. Muriel, Chamoro, and Barbara joined in, dpoing their best to keep the demon at bay.

"You," said my other self. He was clearly injured; I could see the wounds of battle.

"Listen," I began.

"We must fuse," he said.

"what's this?" asked Tania. "Two of you."

"Listen, Tania," said my other self. "I remember now. I'm the Prince of Reidock. When Mudo cursed my parents, I went searching for a cure. I went to Mudo's castle with two companions. But Mudo set up a trap, and he split me apart. This other me is my dream world self. Only if we fuse can we defeat him."

"What will happen to you?"

"I don't know. I might cease to exist."

"No!"

"My other self grabbed my hand.

"Will you protect Tania?" he asked.

"Yes," I replied.

I started to sparkle. I glanced over at Tania.

Suddenly, there was bright light. A screeching sound. Pain. Heat. Cold.

I felt as if my very soul was being absorbed. 


	23. Reunited

I opened my eyes. I looked at my hands and wiggled my fingers.

I looked over and saw Tania.

I then looked at Hassan, Muriel, Barbara, and Chamoro.

And then I looked at my enemy, who had led the attack on Lifecod.

"So you've joined together," said the demon. "I shall still kill you."

"We're right with you," said Hassan.

The demom swung his sword.

And I qucikly intercepted with my Sword of Slumber. I followed up with a kick that sent him flat on the floor. I then slashed the demon.

He then stood. "I'm not so easy to kill," he said.

Then the fight was on. I did my best to dodge every blow even as I looked for an opening. The demon was adept at countering Hassan's attacks as well. And so we went around the house, locked in furious combat, trying to find an opening.

After a few minutes of doing several gymnastic moves that I did not even know existed, I felt a hard blow and I was knocked against the wall.

"Pitiful," said the demon. "Even after your little get-together you still can't beat me."

"Did anyone say the fight is over?" asked confidently. "Zap!"

Suddenly, this bolt of lightning struck the demon general! He yowled in pain.

I had just cast the spell Zap.

Immediately, the others found the opening and struck the demon over and over again.

The demon stood up, seriously wounded. I cast Zap again, striking the demon with more lightning. I then hacked away with my Sword of S;lumber, finally running the blade through the demon.

He fell down, dead.

I looked to Tania. "Are you all right?" I asked.

"Is..Is he gone?" she asked.

"No," I replied emphatically.

"He...he is gone. I only knew him for such a short time."

I left the house.

"So which one are you?" asked Hassan.

I looked at my traveling companions. "I remember living here with Tania this past month, recuperating from my injuries," I said. "I also remember all of our travels. And I remember my life before."

"So you're both of them?" asked Chamoro.

"I was always one person; I was just living in two different bodies."

"I can not understand that at all," said Barbara.

"I don't understand it fully myself. I just know that it's true."

oooooooooooo

The next day, I visited the Elder of Lifecod, and explained whom I was.

"I must ask that you leave this village," said the Elder. "But Tania still cares about you. I will allow you to remain here if you wish."

"The Kingdom of Reidock thanks you and Lifecod village for your hospitality."

I then walked over to Tania's house; the others waited outside.

"Brother," said Tania. "Can I still call you brother?"

"Of course," I said.

"You've come to say goodbye. You have to go back home."

"Tania, I want to thank you for taking care of me," I said. "I know you will take care here. Remember when we sat on the mountaintop, looking towards the sea, after I was able to get out of bed?"

"Of course, brother."

"Farewell, sister."

I then embraced her, this kind-hearted girl who offered me shelter this past month.

I then left the house.

"We'd better get back to Reidock," I said.

"Okay," replied Barbara. She cast Return and we were on our way.

ooooooooooooooooo

We all approached the front gate of Reidock Castle.

The portcullis was raised, and the King of Reidock stepped out, accompanied by soldiers in dress uniform.

"Welcome home, son," said the king.

"Father," I said. "I am back, with my memories."

"The fortune-teller Granmaz informed me that you had become whole again. Let us celebrate the return of the prince!"

oooooooooooo

And so there was a banquet celebrating my return to Reidock Castle. We all sat next to cloth-covered tables. Servants dressed in fine clothes served roasted pork with a tangy barbecue sauce, among other things.

"You sure know how to celebrate, your Highness," said Muriel.

"If only my mom and dad can see me now," said Hassan, eating some vegetables. "Retainer to the Prince of Reidock."

"So what will you do?" asked my mother, Queen Shera. "Will you stay here and rule as a prince?"

"I've learned a lot from my journeys," I said. "We were on a quest to find the legendary armaments."

"It would be best if you stroll around the castle," said Granmaz. "You may awaken memories."

ooooooooooooo

I took an evening stroll after the banquet was done.

I remembered looking out from the castle as a boy.

I remembered my father's coronation about ten years ago.

I remembered being trained by the soldier Franco on the use of swords.

I also remembered my sister Sarah, who had died of an illness about seven years ago. I can still remember the priest trying to console my mother.

And I remember meeting with General Tom in the conference room, trying to find a cure for my parents.

ooooooooooooo

I stood in the throne room, along with Hassan, Muriel, Barbara, and Chamoro.

"You do not have to explain," said my father. "You will continue the search for the legendary armanents."

"That is right, Father," I said.

"And these will be your traveling companions?" asked my mother.

"We will stand by the prince's side, my lady," said Barbara, who spoke for all of us.

"Then let me give you this," said my father. "The Helm of Cevas. I found it during my quest to defeat Mudo."

My father presented me with this helm that had an emblem of the sun engraved on it.

This was one of the lengendanry armaments!

"Now go find the others," he said. "Take care. There may be enemies even more powerful than Mudo."

"I will take care, Father, Mother."

And then we continued on our quest. 


	24. Frozen in Time

"Look over there," said Hassan.

The Ship of God being deep under the ocean, I looked and saw what was clearly the wreckage of a wooden ship.

"We'd better go check it out," said Muriel.

We anchored the ship right next to the wreck.

We had left Reidock Castle after I decided to continue my search for the remaining three legendary armaments. We visited Dhama Shrine so that Muriel can change her class to merchant, and visted the Medal King to exchange our small medals for the Sword of Miracles which I equipped.

"So how do we get inside?" asked Barbara. "We're not fish, you know."

I then walked out through the bubble. Surprisingly, a small bubble formed around my head.

"Look like we can breathe," I said. "But we'd better be quick about this; this air will go stale soon."

I looked around the wrecked ship. the ship must have sunk some time ago; I could not tell exactly what caused this ship to sink.

Scrounging around, I found soem items, including a small medal. Going to the lower deck of the ship, there was a treasure chest. Opening the chest, I found this key.

I put it in my pocket and went back to the Ship of God. We then continued sailing underwater.

ooooooooooo

"Let's surface right here," I said, looking at the Magic Map.

I played the Mermaid Harp and the Ship of God rose to the surface, radiating ripples from where it rose. Just a few miles away there was land. I looked through the spyglass.

"there's a buolding there," I said. "Better check it out."

We set anchor next to the coastline and walked towards the building. A sign identified it as an inn. Perhaps travelers could assist us on our quest. Leaving the ship, we approached the inn.

There were a couple of people at the inn; I looked around and asked about the Sword of Ramias. Some other people were also looking for the legendary sword.

"The priest Zam knew how to release the sword," said a priest staying at the inn.

"Where can I find him?" I asked.

"I don't know; no one has seen him in fifty years."

That evening, we sat in our room at that same inn. It was a nice place, almost as nice as my bedchamber in Reidock Castle.

"How do you even know if this Zam fellow is still alive?" asked Hassan. "He was last seen fifty years aog or so."

"Maybe he revealed the secret to some of his fellow priests," said Muriel. "Or he could have left behind a book."

"I heard there's a town north of here," said Chamoro. "Maybe they know where Zam is."

"We'll head over there tomorrow," I said. "We need to get some sleep."

ooooooooooooo

The next morning, we set out from the inn. It was a bit chilly, so we all wore overcoats as we sat inside the wagon.

About half an hour later, we found out where the chill was coming from.

The clouds above snowed down on us.

"Snow at this time of year?" asked Barbara, wrapping her arms around her chest.

Falshion pulled the wagon through the snow.

"Look over there," said Chamoro. "There's a town."

"Good," I said. "Maybe we can buy a hot drink." Even with my overcoat, I could feel the chill to my very bones.

We finally reached the town, with the buildings dusted in snow. A sign identified the town as Mt. Snow.

"Where is everybody?" asked Muriel.

I looked around. Nobody else was moving about the streets. "Maybe they're all indoors because of the cold," I said.

"Look," said Hassan.

Hassan was standing next to this ice sculpture. It looked just like a little boy walking.

I had a feeling about what this was. I opened the door to one of the houses.

What I saw in there was completely expected. The people in the cast were encased in ice.

None of us had to say it; the people here were frozen in time. We looked around, visiting the inn and the church.

"Whatever happened here happened suddenly," said Barbara. "They did not even have time to scream."

"We'd better look for anyone who's not frozen," I said.

We looked around the houses and shops. We saw people frozen in the middle of cooking dinner, or ordering drinks from the bar, we even saw a couple frozen in bed.

Entering one of the houses, we saw an old man. Unlike the others, he was not frozen.

"How am I supposed to work in a town like this?" he asked.

"What happened here?" I asked.

"Isn't it obvious, boy?" asked the old man. "The whole town was cursed, frozen in time. I don't know why you're here, but there is a cave to the northeast."

"Okay then," I said. It was obvious where we would have to go next.

oooooooooooooooo

After leaving town, we headed northeast. Sure enough, we found the cave.

"Let's see what's inside," I said, hopping off the wagon and brandishing my Sword of Miracles.

The cave had one chamber. In the center of the chamber was a throne with a woman sitting on top of it. Approiaching the throne, I slipped and skidded on the ice. It took me quite a while to reach the throne.

"Watch your step, boy," said the woman. "The ice is slippery. I haven't had visitors in a long time. Go to the village in the southwest, and fgind the young man Goran."

"Okay," I replied.

oooooooooooo

We headed back to Mt. Snow, wandering the village, looking for a young man among the frozen people.

"How will we find him?" asked Barbara. "It's not as if these ice scupltures can talk."

We continued looking around, but it was no use. There was no way to find out which one of these frozen people was Goran.

"Wait," said Chamoro. "Why not ask that old man? He might recognize Goran."

And so we did, going back to the houser.with the unfrozen old man.

"Damn!" exclaimed someone. "you're no help! I'll go ask someone else."

We then saw the swordsman in blue, the same one who had defeated the monster in the Arcbolt tunnel, leaving the house.

I approahced the old man. "Excuse me, sir," I said. "we are looking for a young man named Goran. Would you happen to know which one of the people here is Goran?"

"So you're looking for him," said the old man. There was a sly smile on his face. "This wrinkled old man is Goran."

"You're Goran?" asked Muriel.

"For fifty years, this town has been frozen. Don't go back to that cave northeast. It will only cause trouble."

Of course, we knew where we had to go next. To the cave.

ooooooooooooo

I spoke with rthe woman in the northeast cave.

"Oh, you've returned," she said. "I suppose Goran told you everything."

"He didn't tell any of us anything," I said.

"Goran found this cave over fifty years ago, after I saved him from the blizzard," she said. "He was supposed to keep the cave a secret, but he told everyone so I froze the town. He has suffered enough though. So I shall remove the curse."

I saw a blue flash. the woman changed appearance. Instead of the white dressd and bloind hair that she had, she instead had icy hair and had ice coveringher torso and upper legs.

"I am the snow queen Yurina," she said. "I am the guardian of nature in this area."

ooooooooooooo

Upon our return to Mt. Snow, we immediately noticed the change.

People were moving about the streets. From the looks of it, none of them are aware of what had happened.

We went back to Goran's house to visit him.

"So you've met Yurina," he said. "I was a bit reckless in my youth. The wholw town froze over for fifty years. I guess I'm the only one who has to suffer. The people here can simply go on as they were."

We left Goran's house. We went here to find the priest Zam, and the best place to find a priest is at the church, so we headed over there.

The church was small, with a red carpet in the main room and an altar in the back. A nun stood behind the altar, oblivious to what had happened here the past half century.

We saw this priest inside one of the inner rooms.

"Do you know where we can find the priest Zam?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm Zam," replied the priest. "What do you want from me?"

"Information about the Sword of Ramias," I replied.

"The sword lies in a cave on the summit of Mt. Snow," said Zam. "But a password and several sentences are required. The password is Cold Blaze. The sentences, I'm not sure if this translates well. By myself I am honest. the daughter of a strong man can lift barrels. When you eat ice, your nose gets cold."

"Thank you," I said, rtaking down notes. "Anythign else, sir?"

"Nothing else, except there may be traps in the cave, and terrible monsters too."

He was telling me soemthing I already knew.

"Let's head out," I said, stepping out of the church. "To the top of the mountain!"

oooooooooooooooooo

We climbed up Mt. snow until we reached the summit. Sure enough, there was a cave.

The firdt thing I noticed was how cold the cave was. It was even colder in here than outside! Shivering, I looked around at my surroundings. We were in this huge chamber, and ahead of us was a door.

We carefully walked across the slippery ice towards the door, which was apparently made of steel. I looked at the notes I took from my conversation with Zam back in town.

"Cold Blaze!" I yelled.

the door lit up, and suddenly all these words appeared. There were three sentences.

None of them matched what Zam told me.

"How do we figure this out?" I asked.

"Zam said something about the translation," said Barbara. "Maybe we should find the phrase closest to the meaning."

I looked at the phrases and at the notes I took from Zam.

"let me try this out," I said. "With a pure heart."

Another srt of phrases appeared. I looked at the second sentence that I had recorded. I read through each phrase carefully.

"The daughter of a strong man," I said. I then looked at the phrases written into the door.

"A blade of hidden powers," I said.

then another set pof phrases appeared on the door.

"When you eat ice, your nose gets cold," I said, reading the notes.

I looked at each phrase, trying to find which one fits best. Ice...cold.

"Breaks free of the ice!" I exclaimed. "With a pure heart, a blade of hidden powers breaks free of the ice!"

"Did it work?" asked Chamoro.

I heard a rumbing, and then the doors opened.

"Now here comes the hard part," said Hassan as we went in.

The floor of the next chamber was slippery ice, and more than once did I slide right into the rock walls.

"Careful," said Muriel. "You could break an arm."

"thanks for the reminder," I said, standing up.

We descended into a chamber where the rock floor was simply covered with a thin layer of frost and thus a lot less slippier. We were in a corridor, and ahead was another ice floor.

Walking along the ice floor, I noticed that it was cracking under our feet.

"We'd better be careful," said Barbara, a white cloud coming out of her mouth as she spoke.

We slowly walked across the ice, even as it cracked underneath our feet. I soon made it to the other side.

Suddenly I heard the ice crack loudly.

"Hassan!" yelled Muriel.

We looked and Hassan was hanging by a ledge. Chamoro and I went to his aid, pulling him up.

"Thanks," he replied.

"Look out!" yelled Barbara.

These three bipedal birds attacked. They were apparently the same species that Jamiras was.

I struck with my Sword of Slumber as Hassan did a Sweep Kick and Chamoro cast attack spells while Muriel breathed fire. Pretty soon, these avian monsters were dispatched. The Sword of Miracles had the effect of healing my wounds.

"Let's go," I said.

Going down, we came across another chamber with a slippery ice floor. We just slid across to some stairs going up. Climbing the stairs, we came acorss this sign.

NORTH WEST EAST SOUTH

THAT IS THE WAY

There were four switches in the room, and a closed door on the far side. The floor looked like it was made of thin ice. We had to be extremely careful.

I walked across the floor, hugging the east wall, even as the ice cracked form under my feet. I reached ther first switch, which was the north switch according to my compass, stepping on the switch with my foot. I then made my way to the switch to the west, stepping on that. I then walked across to the east swithc to step on it. I then walked south towards the souythern switch, stepping on that.

The instant I stepped on the southern switch, the door opened. We all walked along the western wall, towards the open door.

We then entered this chamber. On this pedestal was this sword.

Suddenly, we heard footsteps. I gripped my Sword of Miracles.

We saw it was the blue swordsman we first met at Arcbolt Castle.

the swordsman took a look at the sword.

"This is the legendary Sword of Ramias?" he asked. "this is rusted over! I came all the way to this godforsaken place for nothing. I'd rather use my Sword of Thunder." He then approached us. "Even with the Sword of Ramias, you have no chance against the demon king."

"Who are you?" I asked.

"My name is Terry," he said. "I collect swords."

He then left.

"What is it, Muriel?" asked Barbara. "You looked as if you recognized him or something."

"Uh, it's nothing, Barbara," replied Muriel.

I walked over to the sword. It was indeed coated with a thick layer of rust. "Let's head back to town," I said.

oooooooooooooo

"I can tell you found the lengendary sword," said Zam when we spoke to him again after our return.

"Here's what we found," I said, showing the sword.

"The sword!" Zam exclaimed, the surprise and disappointment clear in his voice. "It's totally rusted away."

"Is there any way to restore it?" asked Chamoro.

"South of the Dhama Shrine, there is a town called Longadeseo," said the priest. "There are some legendary blacksmiths there. Here is a pass that will allow entrance to the town. But be careful, it is a den of thieves."

I took the pass, a piece of paper with writing printed on it. "We'll be careful," I said. "Let us stay at the inn. Tomorrow we head for Longadeseo." 


	25. Town of Thieves

As I was riding in the wagon, I saw a cluster of buildings ahead.

"I wonder if this is the place," I said. We had sailed south of Dhama Shrine and landed here, looking for this town of Longadeseo.

I parked the wagon just before the gate into the town. A guard stood at the entrance.

"Do you have a pass?" asked the guard.

"Here," I replied, presenting the Longadeseo pass.

"You may enter. Be careful, plenry of thieves are here trying to find a mark."

We all went in.

"Welcome to Longadeseo, the town of freedom," said this woman.

We took a look around the town. The streets were narrow and there were gaps in some of the paving stones. The centerpiece of this town was a strip club.

I started to ask the people of the town for information about any blacksmiths.

"I heard that this informant, Hawk, fled to this town," said a man. "But no one has seen him."

It appeared that this Hawk character could help us.

We continued to walk around town, asking for the legendary blacksmith. None of them remember him being here. Other people mentioned that Hawk had arrived in town, but no one knows where he is now.

"Maybe the legendary blacksmith is dead," said Barbara.

"Why would you think that?" asked Muriel.

"That priest back in Mt. Snow was frozen for fifty years! His information could very well be outdated."

"Where else could we start looking?" asked Chamoro.

"Maybe the legendary blacksmith had an apprentice or two," said Hassan. "Sort of like how I helped my dad with the carpentry stuff."

We walked around town, asking where Hawk is.

We finally found a lead. This lady lived inside a house which was underneath a well.

"You want to know where Hawk is?" she asked. "Try the bar."

"Thanks, madam," I replied.

And so we went to the bar next to the strip club. There were just a couple of people drinking there. I decided to have a drink.

"Yeah, Hawk was in here," said the bartender. "Might be upstairs."

"Thanks," I replied.

And so I went upstairs to the roof. a man was standing on top.

"Do you have need of the informant Hawk?" he asked.

"Yes, I need his information to find the legendary blacksmith," I replied.

"I am Hawk," he replied. "Hawk will find a way to make people talk. Just give me some time."

I went downstairs. Hawk was already sitting at the bar.

"My services are not free," said Hawk. "I will have to askl for fifty thousand gold."

"That's too much!" I protested.

"I'm very good at what I do, kid. Still, I'll give you a chance. I will wear three disguises. If you can find me in each disguise, I will give you my info for only two thousand gold."

"It's a deal," I said.

"You sure we can find him?" asked Hassan. "He wouldn't have made such an offer unless he was very good at disguises."

"We'd better get on with it," I said.

And so we looked around the town, hoping to find out which person from the crowd was Hawk. We kept looking and looking for hours, but we could not find him.

"He's very good," said Muriel.

"How do you know he hasn't skipped town?" asked Chamoro.

"If he skips out, he loses out on thousands of gold coins," replied Barbara.

Searching around Longadeseo, we came across this church.

The church inside was small, and mostly empty. I guess religion is not very popular in this town of thieves. I saw a priest talking to this other person.

"Poor Sally," he said.

The other man just left. I looked at the priest. He looked real familiar.

"Hawk!" I yelled.

"So you found me," he said. "Next time it won't be easy."

Hawk left the church. I immediately tried following him from a distance, hoping to find out where he is hiding.

But then I lost him in the crowd.

"Looks like we've gotta find him all over again," said Hassan.

And so we looked for him, all over again. We basically went through the entire town. Some of the people were giving us stares. Fortunately, I had a Sword of Miracles which would deter common robbers.

"We've been searching for so long," said Barbara after we walked all over town for so many hours."

"I think we need some recreation," I said, clearly weary of searching all over Longadeseo.

"I've got an idea," said Chamoro.

oooooooooooooo

His idea was for us to spend time at the strip club, looking at the strippers as they danced on stage, jiggling as they did. No one bothered to ask how old we were.

After a short break we decided to go over to where the dressing room is.

"You know," said one of the dancers"I couldn't convince Sally to work here at this theater." she then leaves.

"Would you like a kiss?" asked a lady.

"Sure," I replied.

As she leaned forward, I could feel that her face was rough. I immediately backed away.

"Curses," said the lady. "I forgot to shave."

"Hawk!" I yelled.

"Got to go now," replied Hawk as he left dressed like a woman stripper.

"Maybe you should have let him kiss you," said Muriel. "He might be pretty good at it."

oooooooooooo

Once again, we looked all over town for Hawk. No matter whom we talked to, we could not find the guy.

"Maybe I should go back to Reidock and borrow fifty thousand gold," I said.

"Maybe we should have a drink," suggested Chamoro. "They don't care how old we are here, you know."

And so we did. I sat at the bar at the west end of town, having a few drinks. The others talked about their lives and stuff. I soon started feeling a familiar buzz.

We spoke at length about our past adventures.

"Can you imagine what that's like?" asked Chamoro. "Being split into two people and coming back together."

"It's all good," I replied. "I remember both of my lives, you know."

"I have no memories of being a statue," said Hassan.

"What about you, Barbara?" asked Muriel, gulping a beer. "you have a real-world self out here somewhere."

"I don't know," she said. "I still can't remember where I'm from."

"You weren't with us when we first went to Mudo's castle," I said. "How did you get split?"

"I'll just order 'nother drink," she replied. "Wait a minute."

Barbara then went behind the bar.

"What are you doing here?" asked the bartender. "Do you want something to drink?"

"No," she replied.

"Are you looking for someone?"

"No."

"You want anything with me?"

"Yes, we do."

"You beat me," said the man.

"Hawk!" I yelled, recognizing him.

"You guys listen in to the conversation those two are having," said Hawk. "Get back to me after you hear them. I live in the house at the bottom of the well."

And so I did, keeping my ears open.

"There was this balcksmith here, Colbe," said a customer sitting near us. "He even worked on the legendary sword. He left ten years ago to find it. I'd love to see the lengendary sword and all."

"I understand," replied another customer, a man.

"But he left Mary and Sally behind, leaving them without a husband and father!"

We all decided to leave, heading to the well in Longadeseo. We climbed down, meeting with Hawk inside the living room of his house.

"Pay me the two thousand," said Hawk, standing on the wooden floor.

And so I did. "What did you find out?" I asked curiously.

"Colbe the blacksmith trained his daughter Sally in the blacksmith arts," said Hawk. "People say she's even better than her father was. She lives in a house in the north side of town, and sometimes visits the temple to the north."

"Thanks, dude," replied Hassan.

We left Hawk's house, climbed up the well, and went to the north end of town.

We found a smithery inside one of the houses. While it looked lived in, the owner was not there.

It was time for us to go north to the temple.

It was only a short ride in the wagon. The temple was in a cave in the hills north of Longadeseo.

A red-haired woman was inside the temple, looking at one of the graves.

"What legendary blacksmith!" she yelled. "What sword of legend."

"Excuse me, Miss," I said, interrupting her tirade. "Are you Sally?"

"Yes, I am," she replied. "Is that the sword of legend?"

"Yes," I said, presenting the rusted sword.

"You must be the demon king!"

"No, no," I protested. "I defeated and killed the demon king Mudo!"

"I suppose you want me to remove the rust," she said.

"Please, Miss," I said. "We can make it worth your while."

"No, I can't."

Sally abruptly left the temple.

I hopped into the wagon and headed back to Sally's house in Longadeseo.

"What are you doing here with that sword?" she asked.

"I just want it reforged," I said. "We will recompense you."

"If you promise to use it for good, I might reforge it for you."

"I promise," I said confidently.

"Let me look into your eyes."

I stood still.

"I trust you," said Sally. "I'll reforge it for you. Let me have the sword."

And so I gave the rusted sword to her. I met up with the others just outside the house.

"So she'll fix the sword?" asked Chamoro.

"Yes," I said. "It'll take time. I suggest we follow up on the legendary Shield of Sufida."

And so we did, sailing south of Longadeseo. 


	26. The Undersea Palace

We surfaced above the ocean just a few yards off shore. Chamoro guided the ship as close as he could, then we weighed anchor.

"Let's see what's here," I said, looking at the map.

"Looks like there are people here," said Hassan, looking at the plowed fields around us.

Soon enough, we reached this city; in the distance we could see a castle.

"Let's find out if we can get a lead on the Shield of Sufida," I said.

"I'll wait here with Falshion," said Muriel.

"You sure you don't want to do shopping or anything?" asked Barbara.

"I'll just wait here in the wagon, okay?"

We then went through the gates of the city; a plaque identifed it as Gandino. I began to ask around. I heard the Shield of Sufida used to be in the castle, and that there was some criminal organization called the Gindoro which used to have a lot of influence over this kingdom and was busted when a new king took power a few years ago.

I went to the church. It was a small church, attended by a priest standing behind the altar. An old man sat on a pew. I could overhear him. Apparently he was praying for his daughter. He then left the church.

Wondering what wasd going on, I followed him to this huge house and he went inside. I listened.

"I just want the girl back," I heard the old man say.

"The girl," another voice said. "I can't return the girl. Please understand."

"You gave your daughter as payment when you did not have enough gold. Anyway, the girl was turned over to the previous king. Don't know what he did to her. A lot of girls we gave to the king disappeared."

The old man then left the big house, apparently oblivious to me. He then entered this smaller house.

Peering through the door, I saw that he was asleep. Entering the house, I could hear hum mumbling.

"Un," he mumbled. "Muri..."

I then left. This did explain quite a bit.

I then went to the castle itself and asked about the Shield of Sufida. There was a rumor that the previous king had given the shield to the Gindoro before he disappeared. Other people say the shield was hidden in a cave at the end of a river.

I then entered the castle's library, where I saw a scholar.

"Excuse me," I said. "Do you know anything about the Shield of Sufida?"

"Yes," replied the scholar. "there is a path that you must take. Go south from the gargoyle statue, head along the left-hand wall at the T-intersection, and search the first corner."

I made sure to write it down on a notepad. "Anything else?"

"No, that is all I have for now."

I left the library and went to the throne room to see the King of Gandino.

"Ah, adventurers," said the king. "I used to be one. Has peace returned to the world."

"No, your Majesty," I replied.

"Then you must find the Shield of Sufida. My predecessor gave a fake shield to the Gindoro. The real shield was hidden in a labyrinth in a cave at the end of a river. Be warned, you can easily get lost."

"I will retrieve the shield, my lord."

I then went to the castle's dungeon, hoping to find more information, perhaps directions in that labyrinth the shield was hidden in.

"Long ago," said an old man tending the jail, "there was this girl with a mysterious flute. She always talked about finding her brother. She managed to escape."

There was this stone on the floor; it did not look like it was cemented. I pushed it and it revealed this passage. The girl muat have escaped through here. I went into the passage, lit only by my torch, and soon I reached the bottom of a well.

I decided to buy some equipment. I purchased a Flame Sword for Hassan, two Staves of Echoing for Barbara and Chamoro, and two suits of Dragon Mail and two Flame Shields for me and Hassan.

We all went back to the wagon, where Muriel was waiting for us.

"Did you find anything?" she asked.

"We found another piece of the puzzle concerning the Shield of Sufida," I said.

I also found out more about Muriel. I wondered exactly what happened to her back then. 

oooooooooooo

Setting sail underwater after leaving Gandino, we came across something to the west.

"I think there's someone over there," said Chamoro.

Indeed, there was a light coming from the sea floor. We sailed there and set anchor.

We climbed down some stairs; there was a pocket of air here, perhaps held by sorcery. A guard armed with a spear stood at the bottom of the stairs.

"Halt!" said the guard. "This is the palace of Poseidon, King of the Seas!"

I introduced myself. "I shall go speak with His Majesty, your Highness."

The guard left and returned a minute later. "This way."

He took me to the top of this platform where this man sat. The man was dressed in robes and wore a crown.

"I am Posedion, King of the Seas," he said.

I introduced myself as the Prince of Reidock. "I am looking for information on the legendary armaments," I said.

"I have clues about the Shield of Sufida," said the king. "However, I am in need of assistance as well."

"What is it, your Majesty?"

"An undersea demon named Glacos has been causing trouble under the waves. I ask you to deal with him."

"Very well then, your Majesty," I replied.

"I will tell you where his palace is. Be careful."

And so we left Poseidon's palace, setting sail underwater.

ooooooooooooooo

"That must be the place," said Hassan.

I looked at the map and then at the structure ahead. It was this stone building on the sea floor. This must be Glacos's palace.

"There's a light coming from there," said Chamoro. "It must be a shipping dock of some sort."

Indeed, it was., We docked the ship and then looked around. We were in this huge chamber, with stairs in the back leading to a door."Let's go, people," I said.

And so we walked through the door and into this undersea palace. The front chamber of the first floor was huge. There was this pool in the middle of the room.

"Get them!" someone yelled.

Suddenly, these one-eyed fish approached us; I guess Glacos sent us a welcoming party.

I slashed those creatures with my Sword of Miracles while Hassan delivered Spirit Punches, Muriel breathed fire, and Chamoro cast spells such as Firevolt. Soon, these fish were filleted.

We headed for the back of this chamber. Monsters attacked us, many of which were sea life. We fought one-eyed fish similar to those who welcomed us to this palace, giasnt shrimp, octopuspeople armed with spears and shields, bipedal birds, animated statues, and giant turtles. We also fought these haunted mirrors who could mimic us and our battle abilities. Chamoro would occasionally cast Healall and I would perform the Hustle Dance to heal our wounds.

We then descended some stairs. This lower chamber was basically a huge pool, with this network of bridges and platforms. We walked about, fighting the monsters as we went.

We then came across another stairs going up. Climbing up, we then found ourselves in the huge entrance chamber. I could see the shipping dock, and the Ship of God, in the other side of the front door.

"What's this?" asked Barbara, looking at the floor.

I ;looked and saw the switch. Knowing what we do to switches, I stepped on it.

I heard this sound pof water rushing.

"Look!" yelled Muriel. "That pool was draining."

I looked at the pool below us, and the water level was clearly falling. In a few minutes, only puddles remained in that pool.

We then walked down to the drained pool. Behind us was this door; draining the pool opened up a new area for us to explore.

We were on this terraced stone platform. I saw stairs leading into pools of water. It would appear we would have to drain the pools.

But stepping on that first switch, while draining one pool, also filled another pool.

"Man, whoever designed this palace must really like puzzles," said Hassan.

And so we made our way through the platform, drain ing and filling the water even as we fought with the monsters in the palace.

After draining one of the pools, we came across a treasure chest similar to the others we found in this palace. I cast Identify.

"It's safe," I said.

I opened it and there was this strange clear container. I put it in the sack.

We climbed up some stairs and continued walking along the stone paths. Soon we found ourselves in front of some stairs leading down; it was surrounded by four pillars. I drew my Sword of Miracles.

At the bottom of the stairs was this elevated passage leading to a huge waterfall in the back. On this throne sat this giant fishman.

We aspproached him.

"He's sleeping," said Chamoro.

The fishman's eyes were closed; he was clearly asleep. I raised my Sword of Miracles, ready to slay him.

His eyes popped awake. "Who dares disturb my sleep?" he grumbled.

"We do," I replied.

"I am the demon lord of the seas, Glacos! You should not have disturbed my sleep! Have you come here to break the seal on Calberona?"

"Calberona?" I asked. "No."

"Since you came this far," said Glacos, "I'll just kill you."

Muriel cast Increase to raise our defense. Glacos then raised his spear and struck us all, knocking us down.

I got up. "Was that supposed to hurt?" I asked before striking him with my Sword of Miracles.

"Owww!" he yelled. "Take this. Snowstorm!"

Suddenly, he cast a spell, and a snowstorm struck us. It DID hurt. I danced the Hustle Dance to heal the damage.

Hassan then delivered a Spirit Punch. Glacos was down, grimacing in pain.

"That was a powered-up Spirit Punch, pal," he said.

We then pummeled Glacos with our weapons and battle skills and spells. Soon, the undersea demon lord was down and bleeding.

"That was pathetic," said Muriel.

"No!" yelled Glacos. "If I die...the seal..."

He then expired. Chamoro picked up his spear.

"I say we head back to King Poseidon," I said.

And so we did.

oooooooooooooooooo

"Well done," said King Poseidon as he heard the news of Glacos's death from us. "Now I shall tell you the piece of the puzzle that I know. Down three floors, and up two. Then the road will be made clear."

"Thank you, your Majesty," I replied.

"Feel free to take the treasures from the room."

So we did, finding two small medals, a staff of echoing, a GiveLife armband, and a silver tray.

"Let us now get the Shield of Sufida," I said.

And so we did. 


	27. Labyrinth

"Looks like this is the place," said Chamoro, holding the steering wheel of the huge ship.

We were north of Foan Castle, sailing up this river. At the end of this river was this cave, just as we had heard. Chamoro docked the ship at the mouth of the cave.

"Make sure to follow me," I said to the others as I looked at my notepad. "According to our sources, this place is a labyrinth so we can easily get lost."

"We can cast Outside if we can't find our way back," said Chamoro.

And so we went in. The corridors of this labyrinth were made of stone, with stone floors and ceilings and walls. Vines grew along the walls. I held the torch as it revealed the labyrinth.

"First go north," I said, reading what I wrote on the notepad that I carried. "At the T-intersection, go East. Turn north at the first intersection, take the next intersection to the west, and then continue south."

As we walked north along the corridor, two monsters showed up; an armored orc wilieding a chain with spiked balls on both ends, and a troll armed with a club. I cast Zap to zap these monsters, and then I made sure to use fancy footwork to avoid the orc's ball and chain before striking with my Sword of Miracles. In less than a minute these monsters were vanquished.

We soon reached the T-intersection; I looked at the compass.

"That way," I said, leading the others east. Then at the first intersection, we headed north. Reading the notepad, we headed weest on the next intersection, and continued south.

At the end of the corridor was a staircase leading down.

"I hope this is the way," said Muriel.

"Only one way to find out," I replied.

We walked along the corridor, hoping to find this gargoyle statue. Along the way, we fought monsters, such as the orcs and trolls we fought earlier, magically-animated puppets, these huge horned sheep which could put us to sleep, and giant flies. My Hustle Dance skill was very useful in healing the wounds inflicted by the enemies, while Muriel's screaming terrified the enemies and Hassan's Spirit Punch skill punched them to kingdom come.

"There it is," said Barbara.

I looked and sure enough there was the statue of the gargoyle.

I read from the notepad. "Go south from the gargoyle statue," I read. "Head along the left-hand wall at the T-intersection, and search the first corner."

Looking at my compass, I walked south from the gargoyle statue until I reached a stone wall. I then turned left, walking along the wall, until I reached the corner.

"I wonder what's here," I said, looking down on the floor. "There doesn't seem to be anything..."

I then heard a sound.

"Look," said Hassan. "Stairs.

Indeed, there was a narrow staircase leading down, so of course we went down the stairs.

We emerged in this chamber- one set of stairs led back up, another stairs led down.

I read the notepad. "Down three floors, and up two," I said. "Then the road will be made clear."

"What are we waiting for?" asked Chamoro.

We went down the staird and emerged in an identical-looking chamber; we climbed down the stairs two more times.

We then went back upstairs and climbed the stairs twice.

"This is still the same place as before," said Hassan.

"No," said Barbara. "Look over there."

There was an opening in the wall; we must have triggered a switch. On the other side of the opening was a set of stairs leading down, and down we went.

We were thern in this huge chamber with an underground pool. We left the chamber, walking through the corridor, fighting off the monsters as we went with our weapons and spells and skills.

Finally, alfter slaying two trolls, we came across this raised platform, a treasure chest sitting on top.

Opening it, I reached in and pulled out a shield with a cross emblem on it.

It was the Shield of Sufida; there was only one more legendary armament to collect.

"We got the shield," said Hassan. "Where would we go next."

"Calberona," said Barbara. "I remember now. I came from that city, and there was some disaster, and that's how I ended up in the Mirror Tower. If we go to the dream world, we can find Calberona."

"Then let's do it," I said.

Barbara cast Outside, and we were on our way. 


	28. City of Magic

We returned to the dream world via the well at the Dhama Shrine. Visiting the king there, Hassan changed class to battlemaster, while Barbara and Chamoro became sages. We then returned to the Medal King's castle to exchange the small medals we had been collecting for a Sands of Time.

We then boarded the flying bed to fly to Calberona; I had a hunch of where the city was.

My hunch was right; we were approaching an island just west of Clear Vale. The island was where the hole in the ocean used to be.

"That's definitely it," said Barbara, looking at the buildings.

We set the bed down just at the edge of the city and we all entered.

"Welcome to Calberona, the city of magic" said this woman. "It was founded by the great sorceress, Barbarella."

"We defeated Glacos," I said.

"Barbara," said this old man. "Is that you?"

"Yes," she replied. "These are my companions."

"This city was Barbara's home," said the old man.

"Wow," said Chamoro, looking around. "Grandfather would love to see this place."

"When the demon king sealed off Calberona, her powerful magic ignited," said the old man.

"Barbara," said this middel-aged woman. "You are back."

"Yes, I'm glad to be here," replied Barbara.

"Everyone thinks you should take over for the elder."

"Wha...what?" asked Barbara.

"Bubole has not much time left."

"So you're gonna be the elder," said Muriel.

"I..I don't know," replied Barbara.

"I understand how you feel," I replied. "I'm gonna inherit a throne, you know."

We walked about town, asking asbout the situation here and any leads on the Armor of Orgo. Calberona had this mystical quality about it, as if magic and sorcery permeated this place even to the core. I did hear about a magical carpet which could fly, and that it was inherited by a rich stylish man. I also heard that the elder was being kept alive with the Sands of Time, similar to what I had received from the Medal King.

We went shopping. We bought a moon-folding fan and a sage's robe for Muriel, a Calbero boot and a magical skirt for Barbara, and magic armor for Chamoro.

"Let's get ourselves to the elder's house," said Barbara.

And so we did, a small house in the center of town.

The interior of the house was simple, with a floor made of wood. We were in an outer chamber, ahead was an inner chamber. We walked through the door to the inner chamber.

And we emerged into the outer chamber.

"What's going on?" asked Hassan.

We kept going into the door.

And we kept ending up in the same place.

"This is crazy," said Muriel.

"There's something on the floor," said Chamoro.

I looked and saw glittering sand sprinkled on the floor.

"The Sands of Time," said Barbara. "They're using it to keep Bubole alive. I'd better collect it." She swept the grains of sand into this sand container.

We then went through the door.

We entered a room with a desk and a bookcase. On the desk sat this crystal ball.

This old lady dressed in a robe sat behind the desk.

"Barbara," said the lady. "You have come back."

"Yes, Elder," replied Barbara, who then introduced us.

"I am Bubole, Elder of Calberona," said the lady. "I have been waiting. When my end was near, I retreated to my room and sprinkled the Sands of Time to keep me in a time loop. I don;t know how much time had gone outside, but here I just had the sands sprinkled a few minutes ago."

"We hope for your assistance, madam," i said. "about the flying carpet, and the Armor of Orgo."

"You need the flying carpet to get the armor," said Bubole. "But there is one thing I must do. Do you know of the spell Madante?"

"Uh, no," I replied.

"I heard of it," said Chamoro. "It's a very powerful attack spell, uses up all magic power."

"Granmaz mentioned something like that," said Muriel.

"I'm ready," said Barbara. "That is what I am here for."

She closed her eyes.

Bubole chanted, and this glow emanated from the crystal ball.

When the glow disappeared, I smelled this sharp stench.

"I have it," said Barbara. "I know Madante. When the spell was first released, it destroyed the town, but the powerful magic reincarnated the people in the dream world."

"Oh no," said Hassan, looking towards the floor.

I looked and Bubole lay on the floor, dead. She used the last of her life force to give Madante to Barbara.

Barbara looked at the fallen elder for a few minutes. "We'd better get some info on the flying carpet," she said.

"Lead the way," I said.

And so she did. She led us to this house which was not far from the Elder's house.

In the house was this old couple. Trees grew inside this house, the ceiling was made of glass, allowing light to enter.

"Ah,. Barbara," said the old man.

"Mr. Calbe," replied Barbara.

"We use our magic to make things," said Mr. Calbe.

"I know you made a magic carpet. Do you have one?"

"Ah, we did make such a thing. Last I heard, it was in the hands of a rich, stylish man."

"Okay then," said Barbara. "We'll be on our way."

We left the house.

"So where would we find a rich stylish man?" asked Chamoro.

"I've heard of a rich stylish man," replied Muriel. "He has a home near Torruka. He holds contests there sometimes."

"Then we shall pay him a visit," I said.

And so we did.

ooooooooooooooo

The rich, stylish man lived in the real world, so we crossed over there and then set sail underwater in the Ship of God.

"That should be the place," said Muriel, looking at the map. "His place was located in the mountains."

We surfaced above the water. I looked around and saw that we were in this valley ringed by mountains. Just by the lake was a huge wooden house. We set anchor right over there.

Entering the house, the front room was huge, with wooden floors and wooden walkks and a wooden ceiling supported by huge wooden beams. Tapestries hung against the wall.

"Welcome to the home of Calvin Jean-Porte," said this guard. "We have a contest for stylish people. You can join by going downstairs."

We found stairs leading down. Sure enough, the room below had this huge stage, where the contest was presumably held. Dozens of people were in attendance.

"Welcome to the Level One contest," said this man wearing a vest over a white shirt. "Anyone may enter this contest."

"Which one of us is gonna be there?" asked Hassan. "I ain't that much of a stylish person myself."

"How about you, Muriel?" asked Chamoro.

"Who me?" asked Muriel. "Why can't Barbara go on stage?"

"I get stage fright," replied Barbara.

"Oh all right." Muriel spoke with the man who was the host of this contest; she then went backstage.

"I say we all take a look," said Hassan. Following his advice, we joined the crowd watching the stage.

And then the contestants came out. A mixture of men and women, and even this furry little monster. Muriel stood on the stage, glancing at us.

And then the contestants, one by one, walked down the runway, and the spectators made all sorts of comments.

Finally, it was Muriel's turn. I watched as she strode down the runway, wearing a sleek black dress. The audience was clearly impressed with her. She then went back to the stage.

"And now it is time to select our winner," said the judge, an old lady sitting at a wooden table. An enevelope is handed to the host.

"And the winner is," said the host, a celiling light illuminating the contestants. "Muriel!"

Muriel stepped forward.

"The prize will be a silver tray," said the host.

"Thank you," replied Muriel, receiving a silver tray from a lady dressed in a bunny suit.

"Wow," said Barbara, as Muriel stepped off the stage. "You were fantastic."

"Uh, thanks," replied Muriel.

"Maybe you should be a fashion model or something," said Chamoro.

"You'd better get ready for the next contest," said Hassan.

We approached the usher.

"There will be another contest in about an hour," said the usher. "Only men will participate."

"Which one of us should go?" asked Chamoro.

"I'll do it," I said to the others.

"You're entering the contest?" asked the usher. "Go backstage and get yourself changed."

And so I did, going into this small room equipped with a dresser and drawer. I amde sure to go through each and every outfit, making sure to look my best.

"Excuse me, sir," said a lady in a bunny suit. "Time for you to make your appearance."

And so I did, walking onto the stage along with four other men.

One by one, each of the men walked along the runway, showing themselves off.

Now it was my turn. My heart raced, looking at all these people. I understood how Muriel had felt.

Come on, I was the Prince of Reidock. I dealt with meeting all sorts of people before, and I faced off against the demon king Mudo- twice!

Taking a deep breath, I strode down the runway, doing my best to radiate confidence to the audience. I briefly glanced at my companions.

I could hear people making comments about me. I then turned back and stood in line with the rest of the men.

The host was ready to announce the winner, a spotlight shone on all of us.

the then host announced my name. I won!

"The prize will be a stylish bandana," said the host, who then handed me a bandana.

I stepped off stage.

"You rock!" yelled Hassan.

"Wow, you can sure impress a lady," said Barbara.

"You are da bomb!" said Chamoro.

"I had practice," I said. "After all, I am a prince.

Muriel entered the next contest. Once again, she lined up with the other contestants. Once again, she strode down the runway, radiating an illusion of confidence.

The host opened the envelope. "And the winner is...Muriel!" he exclaimed. He walks up to the stage. "Our prize is a beautiful carpet!" The host handed Muriel a carpet.

Muriel came down to meet us, showing us the carpet.

"Is that it?" asked Hassan.

"I can detect faint traces of magic," said Barbara.

"I say we head back to Calberona," I said.

And so we did.

oooooooooooooo

Crossing over to the dream world and casting Return, we went back to Calberona and headed for the Calbes' house.

"That is indeed the carpet," said Mr. Calbe.

"Could you restore it?" I asked.

Mr. Calbe chanted, and there was this faint glow coming from the carpet. "It is done," he said.

Barbara laid the carpet flat and it hovered.

"It works!" she said for all of us.

"It's big enough to carry the wagon," said Muriel.

And so we loaded Falshion and the wagon on top of the flying carpet, and away we went. The carpet hovered a few feet above the ground, not high enough to fly over the forests.

I did wonder if this thing would work in the real world. We flew to the stairs west of Clear Vale and walked down.

Upon reaching the real world, I unrolled the carpet and led Falshion and the wagon on top of the carpet.

It flew! Now we could fly in the real world as well!

oooooooooooooo

"Anything on your mind?" I asked as I sat inside the wagon, which sat on the flying carpet.

"I was just thinking about the future," said Barbara. "About being the elder and all."

"I can understand," said Hassan. "I mean, some of the carpentry projects I did seemed so impossible. But I simply rose up to the challenge and did it."

"Being the elder of a city is quite different from building a house," said Barbara.

"Hassan does have a point," said Chamoro. "I had the same anxiety when I took the Ship of God to Mudo's castle."

"As a crown prince of Reidock," I said, "just be prepared."

oooooooooooooooo

Looking out of the wagon, I could see a pile of stone.

That was no natural formation. flying the carpet closer, we can see that it was a ruin of some sort.

"I wonder what was here," I said.

"I say we take a look," said Hassan.

There was not much to this ruin. It looked to have been a fort or maybe a castle.

Returning to the wagon, I saw a well. Walking up to it, there was this faint glow.

"We know what to do," said Muriel.

I peered into the well, and was drawn to another world. 


	29. Dark Dream

Emerging from the wall, I looked around. The nearby mountains looked the same as they did before.

But instead of a crumbling ruin, I saw a massive stone castle.

"We must be in the past," said Muriel. "Just like that time we went to Amoru."

"Well, let's take a stroll through history, shall we?" asked Hassan.

Just then, we were greeted by one of the castle's guards.

"What are you doing there?" he asked. "You're supposed to be inside the castle!"

Before any of us, could talk, he led us up a flight of stairs and inside the main keep of the castle.

"There is an important ceremony going on," said the guard. "Until then, no one is allowed outside the castle."

"Okay, then," I said.

I looked around, The main lobby was basically a chamber made of stone, with a garden in the middle.

"Have you noticed?" asked a man standing near the garden. "How everyone is gone?"

"Uh, yeah," I said.

"You've come at a bad time; the king is attempting to summon a very powerful monster."

"Sure," I said.

I spoke to the others. "We'd better get some more info; I think I know how this is going to end."

Going into one of the side rooms, we found a scholar studying. I asked what was going on.

"I read about a monster more powerful than the demon king," said the scholar, "so the king had me do more research. When I found out how to summon the monsters, the king immediately ordered all preparations."

"Do you think this is a good idea?" asked Barbara.

"I don't know. The monster has no interest in our kingdom, or he would have destroyed us already. I do have concerns about the price we may have to pay."

Going upstairs, we emrged into the throne room. The king sat on a throne, his feet resting on a red carpet. He faced some guards and court staff.

"Begin the preparations immediately," ordered the king.

"Yessir!" said the guards and staff before leaving the throne room.

I walked up to the king; he looked to be in some sort of trance. A minister was standing on the carpet in the throne room.

"The king will be able to overpower the demon king," the minister said confidently. "It will all be over soon."

I thought the minister did not know just how right he was.

Going to a room to the right of the throne room, I saw two men standing near a suit of armor.

"But, General," asked this man in a uniform, "would the demon king come here?"

"I believe so," said the general, a middle-aged man wearing some sort of uniform. "He will come for this armor."

"You mean the legendary Armor of Orgo that only a hero can wear?Why would he be threatened by that? Look how easily he destroyed Calberona and the shrine at Dhama."

"The hero will come and bring the light. Until then, having this armor here will only attract the enemy. Summoning a powerful monster is only a temporary solution."

I then entered the room.

"What do you want?" asked the general. "This is a very important suit of armor in here."

I looked at the armor; a heart was engraved on the breastplate.

Going upstairs, we went to the doors of the royal bedchamber. Two women in fine dresses sat at a table; I listened in to their conversation.

"Mother," asked the younger woman, "what if Father can not control the monster? Will the world be overrun with monsters?"

"Your father consulted the scholar," replied the older woman, who was presumably the younger woman's mother. "As long as the monster is fed, there won't be any problems. Trust your father."

We left the chamber and went upstairs. The hallway was dark, and a guard stood in front of the door.

"Only the king and his staff are allowed to enter," said the guard. "Or did you bring the offering?"

"No," I replied.

"Then just wait for the ceremony to begin."

I walked downstairs.

"Maybe if we bring the offering here, we can solve this mystery," said Chamoro.

We went about the castle, asking around. We found out the name of this castle- Grace Castle.

"That was a kingdom that fell long ago," said Chamoro, "after Calberona and Dhama Shrine were destroyed in the real world."

Many people expressed confidence that the monster will kill the demon king, although some people understandably had reservations.

Walking into the kitchen, a cook and a kitchen aide were preparing food. The food smelled like something I never smelled before.

"Snake soup...with dried frog?" asked the cook, a portly woman with brown hair. "What a strange request. Will you take the offering to the ceremony?"

"Of course," I said.

"Here you go, snake soup with dried frog," she replied, handing me a ceramic bowl. "Don't spill it; it took me over an hour to cook it and the kign doesn't want any further delays."

"I'll be careful."

I went back to that dark hallway and told the guard I had the offering.

"Dried frog and snake soup," said the guard. "You may enter."

We entered the ceremony room. It was dark, lit only by a few candles; a circle was drawn around this raised platform.

"You'd better get out," said the guard.

And so I did. I went down to the throne room.

"Your highness," said a guard. "We are ready to begin the ceremony."

"Finally," said the king, getting up from his throne. He followed the guard upstairs and we followed them.

"The ceremony has finally begun," said the guard standing in front of the door. "We will start with the offering."

I could hear voices inside.

"Hidden in this land is a legendary power," said the king. "I will now summon it. Maha torana sotemishia rekidantoran higante parashikorohia!"

I then heard this thunder, and then this booming voice sounded.

"Who summons me?" asked the voice.

"I, the king of Grace, summon you. Hear my request!"

"I take orders from no one!"

The guard swung the door open to see whart was going on.

I looked and saw this image of some demon wearing a horned helmet. Only his head and torso were visible.

Lightning struck the king.

"Yeeow!" he yelled.

And then he burst into flame! The king cried out this inhuman scream that chillded to the bone, running around the room, trying to put out the fire as it sizzled his flesh. I could smell something like burnt meat over a barbecue.

"I exist only to kill," said the monster. "Nothing else can exist!"

The two guards, stunned by their liege being burned alive, come to his side. They are struck with lightning and they too burn, adding their screams to the kings' dying screams.

The guard posted at the door enters, absolutely shocked.

"The queen and princess!" he yelled. He immediately headed downstairs.

"We'd better get away before that monster decides to fry us!" yelled Muriel.

The general and his aide then entered the ceremony room.

"Oh no," said the general, looking at and smelling the burning corpses of the king and the two guards.

"What is done is done, sir," said the aide. "We had better save ourselves."

Going down to the throne room, we saw a burning body lying on the red carpet.

"Too late for him," said the general. "We must retrieve the armor." He then went through a door and appeared with the Armor of Orgo seconds later.

We followed him downstairs.

"I'll hide the armor in the underground warehouse," he said to a soldier. "Get everyone out of the castle!"

"Yessir!" snapped the guard. "Right away, sir!"

We followed the general to the outside balcony, along the stone floors and among the burning corpses. He went inside this room with a wooden floor, which was appararently used for training.

He opened one of the floorboards.

"I'll hide the armor in here," he said.

"Will you be safe, sir?" asked the aide.

"I'll seal the way. No one can get in without a pickaxe! Now get these people out of here!"

"Yes, sir."

And so we followed him outside the castle.

I looked behind. The castle was on fire!

I heard a rumbling, like thunder from a distance, and then the castle collapsed. A clouid of dust surrounded us...

And then we were standing just outside the well.

"So that was how it happened," said Hassan.

"To watch history unfold like that," said Chamoro.

"We'd better get the armor," I said, climbing up the stone staricase.

We went to the area where the wooden floor was. I took out the golden pickaxe which I had used at the Wall of Destiny.

"Okay, people," I said. I swung the pickaxe and pulled back the wooden floorboard.

There were stairs!

Going down, there was the ruins of a dungeon, with empty treasure chest.

"Nothing down here," said Muriel.

Indeed, that was true. The stone floors and walls were covered with a thin layer of dust that was kicked up whenever we walked, causing us to cough.

"There's nothing here," said Barbara.

As I walked, I felt soemthing slip.

Touching the stone floor, I found one of the tiles was loose. Lifting it upo, there was another small staircase.

"Good work," said Chamoro.

We walked down into a series of tunnels. The tunnels were bare, not even being lined with bricks.

Wandering through the tunnels, we found this suit of armor, the same one we saw back in the dream world.

I put the Armor of Orgo on.

"Poor fellow," said Hassan.

In looked at a skeleton; that was definitely the general.

As we went back outside, I then had an idea.

I peered into the well and went to the past.

We saw that Grace Castle was restored. The guard gave us the same greeting, leading us inside.

"So it's going to happen like this every time we go through," said Muriel.

"We'll do things differently," I said.

We went to the room where the general had, or will, uncover a stairs leading down to the underground warehouse. Soldiers were training in that room.

Using the golden pickaxe, I uncovered the stairs and went down. The guards did not stop us; this was apparently a replay of the original history. These people were phantoms reliving the final moments of Grace Castle.

The undergroundf warehouse was not as dusty as it would be in the future. Opening the treasure chests, we uncovered a small medal, a strength seed, and an Aeolus's Shield. We then went back to the well and back to our own time.

"Now that we have the armor, maybe we should check on the sword," said Barbara.

I agreed. I cast Return.

oooooooooooo

Returning to Longadeseo, we went back to Sally's house.

"It's you," she said, standing in her smithery. "Behold. May I present the newly-restored lengendary sword!"

I took the sword; it shone brightly. There was this aura of power to it. A lightning bolt was engraved on the blade near the hilt.

"Thank you," I replied.

"You are welcome," repleid Sally. "I can now start blacksmithing again."

"We have all the lengendary armaments now," said Chamoro.

"Next stop, the castle of the gods!" I said. 


	30. The Cloud Castle

"You sure this is the place?" asked Chamoro.

"Yeah," I replied, looking at the world map as we stepped off the floating island. "Have you noticed how the Medal King's castle is north of Calberona and west of Dhama Shrine? I suspect that there's something south of Dhama Shrine and east of Calberona, and we'll find the entrance to the castle of the gods."

On a hunch, I went to the dream world to go to that spot on the map, after a visit to Dhama Shrine to change my class to hero and a visit to the Medal King to receive a Metal King Helm, which Hassan wore, ansd a Mysterious Bolero. Soon enough, we reached the place. It was this huge hole in the ground. We could see the world below.

"Just like the one where Calberona now is," said Barbara.

"So we're supposed to jump down?" asked Chamoro.

"Of course," replied Hassan. "I understand if you're scared; I was reluctant to jump down the first time, until Falshion pulled the wagon into the hole with me in it."

"Let's do it," said Muriel.

And so we leaped down the hole. I felt the rush of air, and then something slowed our descent until I felt the earth make contact with my two feet.

"Everyone okay?" I asked.

"Uh, yeah," replied Barbara.

"That was pretty cool!" exclaimed Chamoro. "We ought to do it again."

Just ahead was this small stone building, which we entered. There was no roof; we could clearly see the blue sky above.

"What is this place?" asked Muriel.

I looked around. The centerpiece was this circle on the floor. There were four switches on the floor, next to a shining icon .

Stepping on one of the switches, the nearby icon changed, to that on the cross.

"I think you should keep stepping on that switch," said Chamoro.

And so I did. Various symbols appeared as I stepped on the switch.

"Hmmm," mused Chamoro. "The symbols that appear, some of them match the symbols on the legendary equipment."

I looked at the Sword of Ramias, with its lightning bolt emblem, and the Shield of Sufida, with its cross emblem.

I stood in the center circle, looking back at the entrance. I stepped on the switch at the right until a lit cross appeared next to it. I then stepped on the switch on the other side until a lightning bolt appeared.

I understood now. I stepped at the switch nearest the entrance until a heart appeared, and then, looking at my Helm of Cevas, I stepped on the switch furthest from the entrance until a sun appeared.

The etched circle in the center of the floor suddenly lit up.

"We did it!" said barbara.

"What are we waiting for?" asked Hassan. "Let's get into the center circle!"

And so we all stepped in the center circle, and we were suddenly whisked up. Soon I could seer the land below.

"What's that?" asked Muriel.

This castle came from the sky.

And then it fired something at us.

"That castle has a defensive barrier!" yelled Chamoro.

I drew the Sword of Ramias and prepared for battle. Muriel started by casting Increase to raise our defense. I then raised the Sword of Ramias to increase Hassan's attack power just before he swung the Sword of Miracles at the castle's defense barrier.

The castle rammed into us and sure enough it definitely hurt. I danced the Hustle Dance to restore my party's health, reinvigorating us. I then struck with my Sword of Ramias while Hassan delivered a powerful jump kicked. The castle's defense system would sometimes cast a spell that blasted us with high speed winds.

And then suddenly the castle stopped attacking.

"Looks like we beat the defense system," said Hassan.

"who's there?" a voice asked.

I looked, and saw two monsters. I immediately drewe the Sword of Ramias.

"These people are guests," a voice boomed. "They are not be harmed yet."

"Maou Duran is expecting you," said one of the monsters.

"You have the legendary equipment," said the other monster. "But one person already made it here without the legendary equipment."

"How?" asked Barbara.

We then entered the castle, a huge stone structure.

We spoke with some of the castle's staff. From what I had heard, Maou Duran had taken over the castle some years ago and sealed away its king and court staff.

"Help me," I heard as I walked through the stone-lined hallways.

I looked and saw an ethereal ghostly figure.

"Help...me," said the ghost.

I then headed straight for the throne room. It was this huge room with only one piece of furiunture, a huge throne. Sitting on this throne was a creature shaped like a man, with red skin, dressed in this flowing cape.

"Ah, hello there," said the creature. "I am Maou Duran, the ruler of Hell Cloud Castle and vassal to the Demon Clan."

I introudced myself as the Prince of Reidock.

"So, you've gathered all of the legendary equipment," said Duran. "You are a great threat to us."

"I've come to make an offer," I said.

"And what would that be?"

"Leave the castle and release its people, and never engage in hostilities against this world, and we will not pursue you."

"Only strong people get to negotiate with me," said Duran.

I looked and saw this huge turtle and this machine armed with a sword and axe.

"Prove yourself in battle," said the demon lord.

We all drew our weapons and then I struck at the metal creature,. The turtle got in the way, and my sword simply bounced off the armored shell.

Muriel then cast Increase just as the machine attacked me with its sword and axe. It hurt, even with my defense increased. I then struck back with the Sword of Ramias.

And so we did battle with these two minions, with Hassan striking with the Spirit Puch, me swinging with the Sword of Ramias or doing the Hustle Dance, and Chamoro and Muriel using their spells and abilities for support. That turtle occasionally got in the way of our attacks. Eventually, the machine was nothing but a pile of scrapped parts, and the turtle lay on its back, dead.

"Excellent," said Duran. "Now you will meet your next opponent. He is human, and he is very powerful."

And then, this man in a blue outfit appeared. He was the same guy we met at Arcbolt!

"Allow me to introduce to you the world's strongest man, Terry!"

"Let us do battle," said Terry, wielding his Sword of Thunder.

He raised the sword and then we were all struck with lightning bolts. He then swung with his Sword of Thunder, which I quickly parried with the Sword of Ramias, radiating the familiar clang of swords clashing.

"Let's attack this dude from four sides!" yelled Hassan.

And so we did. Terry simply caught my sword with his sword, and he tripped up Hassan, before knocking down Muriel and Chamoro. He could easily fight four people at a time; he was definitely a lot tougher than Glacos was. Muriel cast Increase and then we continued the battle, our swords clashing.

Terry then spun his sword, and we were all knocked down. I managed to get up before he could run me through with the Sword of Thunder.

Once again Terry and I clashed swords; I was doing fancy footwork to avoid being slashed. We went all about the throne room as our swords made contact.

Our sword battle was intense, I could feel my heart pounding away, avoiding Terry's attacks. We continued to dance around the throne room.

And then I struck him hard, and he made swift contact with the stone floor.

"Way to go!" said Hassan.

"Pathetic," said Duran. "Even with a power boost. You have proven your strength."

"As I said," I said, "you will release the people of this castle, and you will not engage in any hostilities against the people of this world."

"I refuse," said Duran. "I will have to kill you now."

I suddenly felt invigorated.

"Come," said Duran, wielding this wicked blade, "Let us settle our differences the way nature intended us!"

He then swiped at Hassan with his weapon; Hassan quickly stepped out of the way. Muriel then cast Increase to raise our defense, abnd I raised the Sword of Ramias to double Hassan's attack power. Hassan launched a Spirit Punch, which Duran ducked before delivering a counterattack. 

"This is gonna be a lot tougher than we thought," said Chamoro.

And it was. Duran was really quick, attacking two times in succession. I had to stay on my toes to avoid being struck down even as I tried to attack with the Sword of Ramias. My blade clashed with his, and even then he was still able to avoid attacks from the others.

He then emmitted these freezing waves, and then struck me! It hurt! Those freezing waves must have nullified Increase! I got up and engaged Duran, and sliced at him with the Sword of Ramias. Duran then created a vacuum, knocking us all down. I danced the Hustle Dance while Chamoro cast Healall.

"All right," I said, "Let's do this!"

Hassan swung with the Sword of Miracles, but Duran got out of the way. Leaping high into the air, he struck at all of us. I crouched in pain.

"Even with the legendary equipment, you are no match for me," said the demon lord. "Now you must die." He then shot at us with a beam from the eye, knocking us all down.

I got up and then danced the Hustle Dance to restore some of our health. Muriel then threw herself right at the demon lord, and Hassan followed up with a Spirit Punch. We all then engaged the demon lord head on.

He swung his blade, and I jumped high into the air, striking him with the Sword of Ramias as I came down back onto the stone floor.

"Urrrgh," said Duran.

I looked and he was clearly wounded.

"You...fight well," he said, his breathing labored. "I looik forward to being reborn so we could do battle again. Listen, the four of us...Mudo, Jamiras, Glacos, and me...we are all vassals of the Daio Maou, Deathtamoor. He's more powerful than even us four...You'll never beat him..."

And then he fell down, bleeding demon blood.

"Let's go, people," I said.

"Kill me."

I looked at Terry, who was standing up, leaning againdt the wall.

"Why?" I asked.

"If you let me live, I might have to kill you," said Terry.

"No," said Muriel.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I remember you now," she said. "You'd forget your head if it weren't attached? Remember Gandino, and the Gindoro? It's me, Muriel. Your sister."

"I..do remember."

"Let me help," said Chamoro, casting Healall.

"Welcome aboard, Terry," I said, extending my hand, which he shook.

We then left the Hell Cloud Castle. As he reappeared in the shrine, I looked and saw the castle rising into the sky.

"When we killed Duran," said Hassan, "we must have broken the seal. It's going back to the dream world!"

"What's all of this going on?" asked Terry.

"I gave a condensed version of the events I had been through since my first encounter with Mudo.

"Wow," said Terry. "A dream world. How do we get there?"

"that glowing circle is one way up there," I said. "It should take us to the castle."

We stepped in the circle, and was transported up.

We appeared in the dream world right in front of the castle, where the hole east of Calberona and south of Dhama Shrine used to be. There were also people there dressed in these uniforms; they were guards.

"Hello there," said a guard. "Welcome to the Cloud Castle Zenithia. King Zenith is expecting you."

We all walked around the castle.

"We all live in different places in the real world," said a court staffer, "King Zenith gathered us here to the dream world."

We came across this room in the basement where this man was watching over an egg.

"This egg could be our future," said the man.

After speaking to some more people, we headed to the throne room. Sitting on the throne was this old man wearing a gold crown with jewels inset into it. I kneeled.

"I am King Zenith," said the man. "Ruler of Zenithia Castle."

I introduced myself on behalf of the Kingdom of Reidock. I then told him what we had been through.

"Deathtamoor had us sealed off," said the king. "The Dai Maou feared our power. We thank you for breaking Duran's seal."

"You are welcome, your Majesty," I said.

"And now we must take the fight to the demon lord himself," said King Zenith. "He lives in his own world in the rift between dimensions."

"And how do we get there?"

"The Pegasus. You must awaken the Pegasus. He lives in a tower in the real world. That tower can be accessed from this castle. Once you get the Pegasus here, I will grant a blessing allowing the Pegasus to enter Deathtamoor's realm."

"We will do so, your Majesty," I said.

"Make whatever preparations are necessary," said the king. "I will inform the guard to let you enter the well."

And so we did. 


	31. Flight of the Pegasus

"Well, here we go," I said, looking down into the well.

After a brief stop at Dhama Shrine so that Muriel could change class to ranger, we went to Zenithia Castle. A guard led uis to this well, which was connected to the Pegasus Tower.

We all climbed down the well. At the bottom was a chamber with two marble pillars. As I stepped between the pillars, there was this brief flash of light.

"Did something happen?" asked Terry.

"Let's climb back up," said Hassan.

And so we did.

Instead of emerging in a hallway in Zenithia Castle, we emerged in this shrine, with marble columns and stone walls.

Leaving the shrine, Falshion and the wagon greeted us; somehow the well transported them here. Just a few yards away was this tall stone tower.

"That must be the place," said Muriel.

"What are we waiting for?" asked Barbara. "Let's get going over there!"

And so Falshion pulled the wagon to the Pegasus Tower. The front courtyard had partches of poisonous swamp, and there were these statues of winged horses decorated the front courtyard. As it turned out, going inside the tower itself, the tower's interior was big enough to accomodate Falshion and the wagon.

"What a huge place," said Chamoro. I heard a faint echo.

Going downstairs, we saw this old man.

"Hi there," I said. "Do you know anything about the Pegasus?"

"I used to tend the Pegasus," replied the old man. "But Deathtamoor turned him to stone."

"Oh," i said. I guessed we would have to figure out a way to restore the Pegasus to flesh.

Just as we emerged from the stairs, we encountered these frost clouds that could emit an icy breath. We made short work of them, my Zap spell was very useful.

As we climbed up the tower, we came across more enemies, such as killer machines, giant green trolls, giant killer moths, zombies, turban-wearinbg humans who could cast spells such as Firevolt or even Revive, horned horses, and these giant spotted slimes. Using our skills, we managed to defeat these enemies. We walked up through the tower, including a section where there were walkways without any guardrails.

Emerging into a terrace just outside the tower, I saw a metallic glint. I looked and saw some silvert-colored babbles.

I struck one of them with the Sword of Ramias, the blade simply bounced off.

"Those guys are tough," said Terry, striking at these metal babbles with the Sword of Thunder, and not even cutting them.

"My spells don't even pentrate," said Chamoro.

We whacked away at the metal babbles even as they threw themselves at us and cast Firebal.

Then they started running off. They all escaped except one, who was struck down by Hassan and melted into shiny silvery goo.

"Let's go, people," I said. Falshion pulled the wagon up the stairs. I sat in the wagon as he pulled us up and up and up.

I looked and we reached the top of the tower. The most prominent feature was this statue of a winged horse.

"Must be the Pegasus," I said. "I wonder how we restore him to flesh."

"Look," said Muriel. "There's something wrong with Falshion."

I looked, and saw that Falshion was sparkling.

"Falshion," said Chamoro. "He's the..."

Suddenly we were interrupted.

"That horse can release the seal on the Pegasus," said this voice.

I looked and saw these three monsters. One of them looked like a ghost, one of them loioked like a huge moth, and the third was this man-shaped figure whose lower body was a cloud.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"We serve the Dai Maou Deathtamoor," said the man-shaped demon. "We can not allow you to break the seal on the Pegasus."

"Barbara!" I yelled.

Barbara came out of the wagon. "What is it?" she asked.

"These monsters want to stop us from releasing the Pegasus," I said. "Go take care of them."

She stood, facing Deathtamoor's thugs, anda breeze blew her red hair. I felt the tower's roof shake even as her eyes flashed fire.

"Take cover!" I yelled.

I took cover behind the wagon.

And then there was a flash and then loud rumbling.

When I looked, only the cloud-man demon remained; his companions were blasted apart.

"So that's Madante," said Hassan.

"She's so powerful," said Terry.

The surviving demon was clearly hurt.

"Aw," I said, "did that hurt? Maybe this will make you feel better." I struck him with the Sword of Ramias.

The others followed through, slashing away at the demon. Soon the demon fell to the ground and evaporated.

"That takes careof that," said Muriel.

"You rock," said Chamoro.

"How are you feeling?" I asked Barbara.

"Worn out," she replied.

I looked at Falshion, who was sparkling. I led him to the statue.

there was this bright flash, and suddenly Falshion was in the air, his wings flapping.

"So this horse was the Pegasus all along," said Terry.

Falshion flew down and landed next to the wagon; I attached the reins to him.

"Let's go, everyone," I said.

We all boarded the wagon, and then Falshion flew us up into the air. I looked down and could see the Pegasus Tower. In the distance I saw San Marino, Gent, and Mudo's Castle. Gazing around, everything did look small.

"Wow, this is even better than the flying carpet!" yelled Barbara.

"I could see my house from here," said Hassan.

"Everything looks so small from up here," said Muriel.

I could see that Falshion was happy about this. He was whole again; he had his wings back. He eagerly pulled the wagon through the soaring heights of the skies. There was nothing more wondrous than what we were experiencing.

After roaming around for a few hours, watching the sun as it set, we headed back to Zenithia Castle.

ooooooooooooo

Upon our return, we went to the throne room, where King Zenith awaited.

"Ah, did you figure out how to make the Pegasus fly yet?" he asked.

"Yes, sire," I replied.

"I shall now release the powers of the Pegasus." The king started this deep chanting. "It is done. The Pegasus can now take you to Deathtamoor's realm."

"Thank you," I replied.

ooooooooooooooo

I awoke in a room at the Wayfarer's Inn the nbext morning, having slept away the exhaustion from yesterday's events. I left the room and went outside, where Falshion stood.

Hassan, Muriel, Barbara, Chamoro, and Terry soon emerged from the inn.

"Okay, people," I said, sitting in the driver's seat of the wagon. "I will now be going to take the fight to Deathtamoor. Any of you who wish to come, hop into the wagon. Be warned, we might not be coming back."

"I'm with you, dude," said Hassan. "I've stuck with you since we first went to take out Mudo."

"We're seeing this to the end," said Muriel.

"Deathtamoor had Calberona sealed away," said Barbara. "If I am to become the next elder, I must put an end to the threat of Deathtamoor."

"The Gent Clan asked me to help you," said Chamoro. "I must fulfill your duty, even if I must go to the realm of the Dai Maou."

They all started climbing the wagon.

"Are you coming, Terry?" asked Muriel.

Terry turned his back for a while and took a few steps.

"I might as well go with you," he said, turning back. "I need to become strong, and what better place is there?"

"Then it's settled," I said, holding the Reins of Pegasus.

Falshion flapped his wings and carried the wagon high into the sky.

"Will we make it?" asked Barbara.

"Only one way to find out," I said.

Suddenly, the world around us started tio ripple, as if I was seeing it through a heat haze.

We all plunged into the dimensional rift. 


	32. Despair Town

Below, I could see land- forests, fields, even a town. Everything appeared to get bigger as we got closer to the ground. I felt a thud as Falshion and the wagon finally touched ground.

"Well, peeps," I said. "Let's go and see what's what, shall we?"

As I stepped out, I suddenly felt really fatigued. I wondered what was going on, since I had woke up less than an hour ago and felt energized.

"I don't feel so good," said Hassan.

"How do you feel?" I asked.

"Tired," he replied.

"Me too."

The others came out of the wagon. From their body language I could tell they were tired.

"I'm sure I slept soundly last night," said Muriel.

"I think it's this place," said Barbara.

"There's a town nearby," I said. "We'd better head over there."

And so we did.

When we got there, the scene was depressing.

"This is Despair Town," said one of the people in this unenergetic voice.

The whole town was permeated with depression. People were either laying about, or just wandering as if they were zombies.

"We were trapped here by the demon emperor," said another person.

"Something's wrong here," said Chamoro. "I think the Dai Maou is somehow draining away the people's will to live."

"I don't think even I can take him on," said Terry.

I felt this creeping despair too. As Duran had said, the Dai Maou Deathtamoor was more powerful than any of the demon lords. How could we possibly face off against someone so powerful, someone who could possibly destroy the Kingdom of Reidock single-handedly?

We just hung around, occasionally talking to these depressing people. A lot of them told us they used to live in the real world until they were somehow brought here, most likely by the Dai Maou's power. They were all surprised when I mentioned I came here willingly to take the fight to the Dai Maou. Of course, they mentioned that there was no way I could possibly defeat the Dai Maou.

Going to this house, I saw this old man.

"I'm Clark Ende," he said. "I used to be a weapon smith in Zaxon Village. I got trapped here during a journey to find the legendary armor."

I introduced myself. "I came here to fight the Dai Maou."

"You are very courageous," said Ende. "But you lack the power to take on the Dai Maou. I have this pipe. If you cann find a way out of here, go to Zaxon village and look for my wife."

I took the pipe, which was made of iron; rust covered its surface. We left the place where Clark Ende was staying. I looked and saw a lady with a smile on her face.

"What's going on?" I muttered.

"I just went to the hot springs," said the lady. "It energizes us."

"Oh really?" asked Hassan.

"Yeah," said the lady. "At least we can forget our troubles."

"We'd better head for those hot springs," I said.

ooooooooooooo

We had to travel there on the ground, since Falshion could not fly in Deathtamoor's realm. It was only a few minutes from town to the hot springs, which was this huge pool. I coulkd see people wading in this pool, which had this huge rock in the center.

We went to the house next to the hot spring. Over a dozen people waited in line.

"I'm surprised that the Dai Maou would allow such a place to be here," said this old man.

"There must be some sort of evil purpose," said Hassan.

"I don't think so," said Chamoro. "This place does not radiate evil."

I waited in line for about half an hour, and then I stepped into the hot spring. I suddenly felt energized. I felt more alive than I did since before setting out for Deathtamoor's realm.

A strong current carried me around the pool in a full circuit. I just let the currents take me around, content.

It was after a few circuits that I saw something in the central rock.

"There's a hole over there," I said. "Let's swim to it."

"Why bother?" asked Muriel.

"Yeah, can't we just stay here?" asked Barbara.

I did feel relaxed here. But I just had to find out what this place really was.

"Come on!" I yelled. "Let's get swimming!"

and so I swam for that hole. Swimming against the current was physically exhausting. Eventaully, I made it in. The hole appeared to lead into a cave. I waited until the others managed to get here.

"Did we really have to come here?" whined Terry.

"Yes:" I said, drawing the Sword of Ramias.

We all walked along the stone floor of this cave, expecting some monster to attack us for lunch.

Instead, what we found was this well with this glowing green mist.

"This might be a trap," said Hassan.

I peered into the well, hoping that a demon would not crawl out to kill me.

All of my senses blurred, and then I found myself breatjhing fresh air.

"Where are we?" asked Chamoro.

I looked at the Magic Map. We were back in the real world.

"Home," I said.

"At least we know how to leave Deathtamoor's realm," said Muriel. "So we go back?"

"We have an errand to run first," I said, hopping onto the driver's seat of the wagon. After we all boarded, Falshion sprouted his wings and took to the skies.

"Where are we going?' asked Chamoro.

"Zaxon village," I replied. "Ende told us that it was in the mountains."

And so we flew around the world, unmolested by monsters. I looked down, seeing oceans, forests, and wide open grasslands.

"Now I wonder where it is," I said.

After a few hours of flying, I saw a village nestled in the mountains.

"Down there," I said. Falshion slowly descended towards this village, which was north of Gent town. We finllay touched ground just outside.

The village was small, with woioden buoildings and plowed fields. The sun was setting to the west.

"Ah, visitors," said a man. "We have not had visitors in such a long time. Welcome to Zaxon village."

"Do you know of a man named Clark Ende?" I asked.

"He went looking for the legendary armaments," said the man. "He has not been heard from since. His wife lives in that house over there. His dog guards the home."

I went over to the wooden house, and this big dog stood in front of the wooden door.

I took pout the pipe that Ende gave me, and let the dog sniff it.

He suddenly barked, and this old lady opened the door.

"Yes?" she asked.

"I have something for you, madam," I said, presenting the rusty pipe.

"That's Clark's pipe," said the lady. "Where did you get it?"

"I got it from your husband," I said. "He's in the Dai Maou Deathtamoor's realm."

"How did he get there?"

"I don't know."

"How did you get out of there?"

"I have a horse than can transport me to Deathtamoor's realm. There is a well in his realm that leads to this world."

"And Clark is all right?"

"Yes."

"Thank you," she said.

"We'll be going back there."

"Then give this to him." She handed us some tools. "He'll be happy to see these."

I took the tools, and then we headed back to Deathtamoor's realm.

ooooooooooooo

After getting on the wagon, Falshion transported us to Deathtamoor's realm, landing just outside the Despair Town. We went to the house where Ende was staying.

"Are those my tools?" asked the blacksmith.

"We got them from your wife," I replied.

"So she's still alive. And she knows I'm still alive. I'll make you something for free. Wiould you like armor, a helmet, or a shield?"

"An armor," I said.

"I'll get to work. You may rest here. You've done so much for me and my wife."

And so we slept here.

ooooooooooo

The next morning, I woke up fully energized. Going outside, the scene before me was remarkable.

This was the same place, but the town looked more alive. Apparently, Ende's cheer had spread through the whole village.

"Wow," said Barbara. "We really made changes here."

"I feel a spring in my srtep myself," said Hassan, putting on the armor Ende had made.

"After we have breakfast, I say we explore further, find out how to get to Deathtamoor," I said.

And we did. 


	33. The Sage's Treasure

The animated skeletons swung at us. After deftly dodging out of the way, I cast Lightning to strike them all just as Hassan deliverered a mighty blow from the Sword of Miracles. Barbara then sumoned a tsunami to wash these enemies away.

"Come on, people," I said.

We got a tip from Despair Town that there was another town in Deathtamoor's realm which had this gold mine. Legend suggestyed that a sage's treasure is inside the mine. Not wanting to pass the opportunity that this treasure can help us defeat the Dai Maou Deeathtamoor, we set out for the next town. We were restricted to ground travel, as Falshion could not sprout his wings and the flying carpet could not fly.

Of course, we were attacked by monsters every so often, such as animated skeletons and human wizards; we used our skills to defeat these monsters.

After a few hours, we finally arrived at the town. It looked a lot more prosperous than Despair Town did.

"Welcome to Greed Town," someone said.

"Greed Town?" asked Hassan.

"Sound shifty," said Muriel.

Someone called out to us as we were walking.

"Hey," said this old man. "You wanna step on my carpet, you better pay me."

"No thanks," said Barbara.

"We have a strip club here," called out someone else.

"A strip club?" asked Chamoro. "Gotta check it out!"

"Careful," I said. "I don't think the people in this town are honest."

Chamoro went inside this wooden building.

A few minutes later he came out. I could tell that he was mad from the look on his face.

"What a damn rip-off!" he yelled. "Why can't I get a break!"

"Please visit our casino," said this lady. "It's the pride of our town."

"Hey guys," said Terry. "I say we all head to the casino."

And so we did. There was a bar serving alcohol, and many table games available and even a monster arena. The others were soon playing the gambling games. It was a welcome rest compared to what we had been through when we first arrived in Deathtamoor's realm.

I decided to gather some more information from the people living here in this town. They did not seem to mind living under the Dai Maou's rule. I heard more information about the sage's treasure and the sage himself, whose name was Masarl.

And I heard that inside the mine, there was a clue as to where Masarl had hidden his treasure.

At the end of the day, I met with the others at the inn.

"Tomorrow morning, we will explore the mines," I said. "We need more info on the sage's treasure."

"I wonder if it's another powerful weapon," mused Terry. "Deathtamoor would be running scared if I were to acquire such a weapon."

"We'd better get some sleep, dudes," said Hassan, lying down on the bed.

ooooooooooooooo

The next morning, we all set out for the mine located next to greed town. Nothing but bare rock lined the tunnels, which were supported by thick wooden beams.

Suddenly, we were ambushed by these slug-like creatures with thick lips. One of them emitted a sweet-smelling breath, causing Hassan to fall asleep. Chamoro cast Defeat, decminating this group of monsters. I followed up with casting Lightning and we continued on.

We came across more monsters as we walked through the mine. We fought these animated skeletons that could cast Stopspell to seal out spells, these living flames that breathed fire upon us, these man-shaped creatures with blades and mechanical devices grafted into their bodies, these armored warriors who swung with heavy blades. One annoying enemy was this rock that could cast GiveLife to revive all of its fallen allies. We used our skills to defeat these creatures. The Heallus spell, which Barbara and Chamoro knew, was very helpful in these battles.

After walking through these tunnels, we came across this treasure chest. Opening it, it was empty except for a note.

I know where Masarl hid his treasure

- Morgan

ooooooooooooo

We left the mines and went to Morgan's house in Greed Town. He was the richest man in town, and as such lived in this huge house. He wore this expensive-looking silk robe and was pudgy and bald.

"Excuse me, sir," I said. "Do you know where the treasure is?"

"You saw my note at the mine, right?" asked Morgan. "that will be five thousand gold."

"Five thousand gold?" asked Hassan.

"Here," I said, giving him the gold.

"The treasure is at the bottom of a lake in the middle of a forest northwest of here," said Morgan.

"Thank you, sir," I replied.

We then left Morgan's house.

"What a greedy man," said Barbara.

At least we have a lead to the sage's treasure," said Muriel.

oooooooooooooooo

From Greed Town, we set off to the north and west, fighting off monsters as we traveled inside the wagon. A few hours later I saw a patch of forest ahead.

Approaching the forest, we arrived at this small lake. A whole bunch of people were there.

"Looks like Morgan told these people the treasure was here," said Chamoro.

"As long as it can help us defeat Deathtamoor," I said.

"I wonder what the treasure is," said one of the people here.

"Maybe it is a huge golden nugget."

"Or a beautiful piece of cloth."

"Would you sell your soul for this?" a young man asked us.

"Uh, sure," I said.

Then I heard this sound, like a waterfall cascading. I looked and saw the lake draining. The lake receded and receded until we saw the sandy bottom.

In the center of the dry lakebed was this treasure chest.

"there it is!" someone yelled. Everyone descended towards the treasure chest.

As we went down, I could hear screams and shouts.

I looked and noticed the people were fighting each other. They looked berserk, as if they were gonna kill each other!

As the others fought each other over the treasure, I saw an opening. Dodging the pounches and kicks being thrown by everyone around me, I got to the treasure chest and opened it.

It was empty.

"it's empty!" someone yelled, only a second after I found that out.

"It was empty all along," someone else said.

"We were gonna kill each other for nothing!"

oooooooooooooooo

We were back in Greed Town. Word of what happened had gotten here just as quickly as we did.

"We were insane with greed," said this rich-looking man. "We must reward you."

He then gave me this Dragon Robe.

"This was made by the sage Masarl," he said. "If you take down the Dai Maou, it will help."

"There must be something back at that lake," said Morgan.

"I guess it will not hurt to check it out," I said.

"We were so stupid," said this lady.

"Deathtamoor appealed to our basest feelings," said a man.

oooooooooooooooo

We went back to the dry lakebed where the empty treasure chest was, the same treasurew chest that the people of Greed Town were going to kill each other to possess.

"There's nothing," said Terry.

I examined the bottom of the treasure chest. Suddenly, it fell down into this hole.

There was a stairway, wide enough for the wagon.

"Well, people," I said. "Maybe we'll find out more about the sage."

And so we went down. 


	34. Prison Break

The stairs uncovered by the empty treasure chest led to a short, rock-lined tunnel. We soon emerged on the other side.

Just a few minutes north of the tunnel entrance, we came across this well. Peering down, I can see an old man and a priest below. We climbed down the well.

"So you wish to take on the demon emperor," said the old man.

"Yes, sir," I replied.

"May the Lord God Almighty assist you."

I felt fully energized; I was coimpletely healed.

"Deathtamoor has a prison nearby," said the priest. "It is said that a sage is being held captive there."

"We'll check it out," I said.

So we climbed out of the well. In the distance I could see this huge stone building; that must be the prison the priest told me about.

We then approached the entrance to the prison. Stairs led up to the front door. This mean-looking giant stood in front; he wielded a wicked-looking axe.

"I can not let you pass," said the giant.

"We just want to visit," I said.

"Surrender or die."

He then summoned this mist.

"We can't cast spells," said Barbara.

"We'll just use our brawn," said Hassan.

"I don't HAVE brawn!"

I drew the Sword of Ramias, preparing to do battle with the giant. I sidestepped just as the giant swung his axe. He then parried our blows. As we fought him, it was revealed he was adept at handling four opponents at a time. We were locked in a furious battle, and we occasionally landed hits while we occasioanlly took hits. And his strikes hurt a lot. I used the Hustle Dance to heal us.

I swung my sword at him, and he parried with his axe, deflecting my blow. My momentum caused me to fall. He then raised his axe to styrike me down.

And then Hassan delivered a Spirit Punch, taking the giant down.

"You," said the giant. "you were the ones my brother was weaiting for. You may enter."

And so we did. Anothet giant stood just in front of the door.

"I can not let you pass," he said.

I reached for the Sword of Ramias in preparation for another fight.

"Open the gate," said this voice. "They will bring light to the people."

"Here," said the giant. "this is the Prison Key."

I looked and saw this finely-machined key.

"You must defeat Akbar," said the giant. "He rules over this place."

"Okay, we will," I said.

And so I unlocked the front door with the Prison Key and we all entered.

These humans in uniforms then approached us.

"New arrivals?" one of them asked. "We weren't expecting anyone."

"Put them in the dungeon," said another human.

"Yes, sir!"

And so we were escroted through the stone-lined hallways of the prison to the lower levels. There were cells adjacent to the hallways, with barred doors. The guards led us into one of the cells and locked the door.

"I hope this isn't a trap," said Muriel.

"One way to find out," I said. I inserted the key into the keyhole of the door. So far, so good.

I turned it and heard a click. Yes!

"We'd better be careful," said Chamoro.

Making sure none of the guards were making their rounds, we walked along the stone floor. We looked down a side passage with a glowing floor.

"I wonder what's there," said Terry.

"The floor's dangerous," said Barbara.

"Let me help," said Muriel. She cast Stepguard on all of us.

We walked across the glowing floor without injury.

"Wow!" said Hassan. "You're the best!"

We wa;lkled to the end of the corridor and walked down some stairs. We emerged into this room where there was a glowing barred door.

I inserted the key and unlocked the door, but I could not open it.

"It must be magically locked," said Chamoro.

"That sage must be held in that cell," said Terry.

"What are you doing there?" asked a voice.

We all looked and saw one of the guards. I drew the Sword of Ramias to slay the guard.

"Wait! Wait!" yelled the guard. "I'm not gonna fight you. Don't you recognize me?"

"Should I recognize you?" I asked, placing the sword point at his throat.

"It's me, General Soldi of Reidock!"

He removed his helmet.

That was General Tom, who for some reason called himself Soldi in the dream world.

"You're dead," I said.

"I...don't know," said Soldi. "After you left with the king, my troops and I left Mudo's castle. Suddenly I was brought here, a prisoner. I managed to kill one of the guards and take his place. Zozogel is recruiting new soldiers from the real world. I was able to pass as one of his recruits."

It made sense now. After Tom was killed in the real world, Deathtamoor brought his spirit here and reincarnated him.

"Okay, General Soldi," said Hassan. "Tell us what's goin' on here."

"Ah, Hassan," said Soldi. "Good to see you again. You have grown strong since we rescued the king. Lord Akbar is a servant of Deathtamoor, serving as regent. General Zozogel commands Deathtamoor's army, and the wizard Dogma is the chief magician."

"They're humans, right?" asked Barbara.

"The Dai Maou has managed to recruit humans to his cause. Most of those people had big, weak egos, easily lured by promises of power. I suspect that was why Zozogel and Dogma decided to pledge their loyalty to Deathtamoor. His four vassal Maous were recently killed. He intends to replace them, and renew his campaign against the real world."

"Yes," I said. "Humans were among those who served Mudo."

"So where is this sage Masarl?" asked Terry.

"Behind that door," said Soldi. "The sages Masarl and Krimut are masters of sorcery, a very threat to Deathtamoor's plans. They were captured, and Masarl is imprisoned here, in the maximum security unit. I don't know where Krimut is."

"I suppose that the only way to release the seal is to defeat Akbar," I said.

"Yes."

"There is a town where the prisoners dwell when they are not confined to the cells. Some of them are plotting against Akbar. When I saw you escorted to the dungeon, I knew you had a plan to free the sage. You will need these." He pulled some clothes from a leather bag. "These are the guard uniforms I borrowed from a storage closet. Wear these over your clothes."

And so we all put the uniforms on. Mine was a little tight.

"Just act casual," said Soldi. "If an officer tells you to do something, do it. I will see you after the seal is released."

And so we left. Walking upstairs from the cell blocks, we emerged into the prison town. There were dozens of people milling about. Most of the prisoners paid no heed to us. Most of the floor was stone, although there were patches of bare soil. In the center of the town was a guillotine.

"Do you have any information on Akbar?" I asked this lady.

"Uh, no," she said. "I know he rules over this prison."

We went through some doors, and there was this foyer where guards were sitting behind desks.

"Where are you going?" asked one of the guards.

"We just finmished making rounds through the prison town," I said.

"Okay then. Report back to the main office."

We walked upstairs. The upper floors apparently contained offices and storerooms for the guards and staff. It was a busy place, with all sorts of people walking around.

We entered this room where a bearded man wearing a turban sat behind a wooden desk. On top of the wooden desk was a scythe.

"Excuse me," said the man.

"We're just going up," I said.

"To see Lord Akbar?"he asked.

"Yes," I replied. "We are new here, and we were told to deliver a message to him."

"I see," said the man. "I am Dogma, Akbar's chief sorceror. He is upstairs."

"Thanks." We went upstairs to this balcony. At the very top was a tower. Standing in front of the door to the tower was this guard.

"We're here to see Lord Akbar," I said.

"You may not enter," said the guard.

"We have a message."

"Akbar does not summon lowly prison guards to his chamber. If he wishes to do business with anyone, he pays the visit."

"Uh, is anything going on?" asked Hassan.

"Sister Anna, one of the prisoners. Tomorrow, a demon will possess her body, and then the demon shall marry Akbar. Because of this, he is too busy to see any of us; I am not even allowed to enter the chamber. Only Zozogel and Dogma may interrupt him, and only if there is an emergency. If you've no further business, you'd best leave."

We went downstairs.

"What do we do now?" asked Barbara as we walked through the stone-lined hallways.

"We could take out the guard and bust in," said Terry.

"It could be a trap," said Muriel. "If Akbar isn't even in there, like if we was meeting with Deathtamoor, we could find ourselves fighting all of the guards here."

We went back down to the prison town. Going to some isolated corner, we removed the uniforms and placed them in the bag; we now blended in with the prisoners. Perhaps the prisoners will tell us things that they would not tell the guards.

We went to a bar where drinks are served. Security was loose here compared to the maximum security unit, as the prisoners could move freely about, just as long as they cooperated with the guards.

"Hi there," said the bartender, who was this portly woman in her forties. "You new here?"

"Yes," i said.

"So many new faces. My name is Lee. I was a bartender in the real world, until I was brought here by the demon emperor."

"Do you know a Sister Anna?"

"Yeah, she had the power to make people feel better. Deathtamoor ordered her imprisonment here."

"Tomorrow, she will be possessed by a demon who will marry Akbar."

Her eyes widened. "Thanks," she said. "Will you ifhgt Akbar?"

"Of course," said Terry.

"Speak to the shopkeeper."

And so we did. The shopkeeper was this pudgy, well-dressed man.

"Lee told us to talk to you," I said. "We plan to fight Akbar."

"Shhhh," said the shopkeeper. "Talk to Gon. He is standing at the corner."

And so wewalked to the outer wall of the prison town. This big man stood near the corner.

"Are you Gon?" I asked. "We plan to overthrow Akbar."

"Okay," said Gon. "you may pass."

We did, and we walked along this passage. We emerged in the back of the shop.

"It's futile to fight Akbar," said the shopkeeper. "You can take the wine in the left barrel. The one in the rioght barrel is special, so don't drink it."

There wwere these two wooden barrels,the familair scent of wine arose from both of them. We all took sips from the left barrel.

"Now what?" asked Chamoro.

"We'll put on the uniforms and go back up," I said. "Maybe Soldi has a plan."

And so we went into this out-of-the-way area and put on out uniforms. We then approahced the door leading to the upper levels of the building.

The doors swung open and a squad of guards were escorting a prisoner.

"Good thing you're here," said the guard officer. "Help us secure the area as we prepare the prisoner for exeuction."

The prisoner was placed in the guilottine, his bneck in the slot. The othet guards tied him up.

That was when we attacked. I first cast Lightning to strike all of the prison guards, and then wequickly made short work of them.

"What are you doing?" asked another prison guard, still stunned by what happened."

"You surrender or die!" yelled another guard.

"What is this?" said this gruff voice.

A uniformed man stepped in. He appeared a bit older than the guards, and his uniform was much more decorated.

"Sir, these guards interfered with the execution."

"This is General Zozogel," said the uniformed man. "Stand down or be destroyed."

"How about we destroy you?" I asked.

"Dogma, back me up!" yelled Zozogel.

"Okay," said the wizard.

Muriel cast Increase to raise our defense, and I raised the Sword of Ramias to increase Hassan's attack power. Zozogel then swung with his sword, and Terry parried him. We engaged Zozogel in a furious clash of swords, as we tried to find an opening while parrying with weapon or shield. Dogma cast attack spells at us, even as Chamoro, and Muriel cast their spells.

Barbara the n used the Madante skill to release her magical power in a huge burst, which sweriouisly hurt Zozogel and Dogma. I struck down Zozogel, while Hassan knocked out Dogma with a Spirit Punch.

The other prisoners cheered upon seeing our takedown of Zozogel and Dogma.

"It's...not over yet," said Dogma, leaning on his scythe.

I walked over to him to cut off his head with the Sword of Ramias.

But before I could strike down the sorceror, I fell. My body felt numb and I could not move.

"How pathetic," said Zozogel.

ooooooooooo

"here we are again," said Barbara. "How do we get out this time?"

we sat in the cell. Our weapons, uniforms, and prison key were confiscated by the guards.

"Not much we can do," said Muriel. "Until they have us executed one by one."

"That cheap bastard," said Terry. "Paralyzing us like that!"

"This is it, I guess," said Chamoro.

"We've come so far," said Hassan. "We can't just give up."

"Look," said Barbara.

I looked and noticed a guard passed on on the floor. "I guess he will be going to the guillotine soon."

"Probably just before they kill us," said Muriel.

"What';s going on here?" asked another guard. "You're gonna be in big trouble when you wake up."

Then I saw the prisoners approach him. They attacked the guard, quickly killing him.

One of them unlocked the door to the cell.

"We put a little something in their wine," said Gon. "Most of them are asleep and we're fighting the others."

"So you're bustin' out of here," I said.

"Not until we rescue Sister Anna and the sage. Will you help them?"

"Yes."

"The ceremony's today," said this lady.

We all headed upstairs, back to the prison town. A whole bnuch of prisoners were gathered in front of the exit.

"I am Tonra, leader of the rebel army," said this man. "Your bravery against Zozogel and Dogma inspired us to revolt! Here."

Tonra gave me a prison key anf four seeds of strength, which I consumed.

"Akbar is in his chamber for his wedding. Kill him. We'll take care of the guards."

And so we did, walking up through the buolding to the door to Akbar's chamber.

"Get ready," I said. I opened the door.

the chamber was huge, with the floor covered in a red carpet. Two guards stood beside whis woman dressed in a habit. Standing on a rasied platform in the back was this wingled creature with two horns and tusks jutting from his mouth. I knew that was Akbar.

"Now to have this human possessed," said Akbar.

"Stop right there, demon!" I yelled, raising the Sword of Ramias.

"You!" yelled the demon lord.

"Let us kill these intruders, my lord," said one of the guards.

"I shall join you," said Akbar.

"Okay, I'll take on Akbar," I said. "Keep these guards busy!"

Chamoro cast Stopspell on Akbar. I raised the Sword of Ramias to increase Hassan's attack power, while Barbara cast Barrier.

Akbar then breathed a violent blaze, which hurt, and which would have hurt more if the barrier was not up. I then engaged Akbar in melee combat, doidging his blows and flaming breath while delivering blows of my own, even as my companions kept his guards occupied. We waltzed around the chamber as we tried to kill each other.

Akbar knocked me against a wall, and it hurt! I began a quiet meditation to heal my wounds. I then dodged a blow from Akbar, striking him in the chest. We then continued parrying each other's blows, hopping around the chamber as we did.

After a few minutes of parrying, we were both knocked away from each other. I looked and Akbar's escorts were down.

"I didn't need them!" yelled Akbar. "i could take on all of you!"

He then breathed a violent blaze. I dodged the worst of it, and then thrust the Sword of Ramias into Akbar. Hassan then delivered a powered-up Spirit Punch, and Terry delivered a jump kick.

"You...you were the ones prophesised to take me down," said Akbar. "The two of them...must not meet."

He then fell, a pool of blood spreading from his body.

"Thank you," said the lady in the habit. "I'm Sister Anna."

"You beat him!" yelled Tonra as he burst into the chamber. "The guards disappeared."

"I guess they went back to where they came from," said Muriel.

"The seal should be broken," said Soldi, who came along with Tonra. "Let's free the sage."

And so we went down to the maximum security level to where the sealed door is. Turning the handle, the door opened. We all went inside and saw this man chained to the wall with manacles.

"Unlock the chains," said Soldi.

And so I did. The man lay down on the ground; I wondered if he was alive.

"Who's there?" he asked. "I can't see."

"Are you Masarl?" I asked.

"No," replied the man. "I am the sage Krimut. Masarl is my brother."

"Where is he?" asked Soldi.

"They took hikm across the Sea of Nothingness; he is held in Sorrow Prison."

"How do we get to him?" I asked.

Krimut started this soft chanting. This orb appeared. "This is the Orb of Truth. A cape juts out into the mist. Use it and you can open your way to Sorrow Prison."

"Okay then," I said, taking the orb. "We will rescue your brother."

We then left the maximum security unit. As we approached the stairs leading to prison town, we heard this thunderous voice.

"If I let them play, they start to get overconfident...anooying humans, remember my power!"

I then heard this rumble.

"What was that?" asked Chamoro.

We walked up to the prison town, and this cat greeted us. I found it odd, as I never noticed any pets.

It was then that I saw statues of people.

Deathtamoor did this! He must have turned the people to stone.

"Nothing we can do here," I said. "Only way to free them is to kill Deathtamoor."

"Right," said Hassan. "Let's show him!"

And so we left the prison. Just outside, we saw the two giants who greeted us, now stone.

oooooooooooo

Just west of the prison, we walked where the land seemed to jut into the glowing fog.

"Here goes nothing," said Terry.

I held up the orb. Suddenly, the fog in front thinned out, revealing a new land ahead.

"Let's go, people," I said. "We have a sage to rescue."

And so we did. 


	35. Sages Reunited

As the glowing fog gaave way, we were greeted by this enormous sight.

Just about a mile in front of us was this very tall mountain. I could see some sort of building on top of the mountain.

"That must be Deathtamoor's castle," said Hassan.

Just a few yards in front of us was this low stone building; I figured this was the Sorrow Prison where the sage Masarl was being held captive.

The first thing I noticed when we entered the buklding was that the air was dusty. Looking around, I could see cracks in the stone walls. Cobwebs hung in the corners.

"What a dump," said Muriel.

There were two doors to the back of the front room. One of the doors led to a room where a demon was sitting on a chair; there was no response from him.

"He looks dead," said Barbara.

We went to the other door, leading to a staircase going down. The stairs led to this huge room lit only by a handful of torches mounted to the stone wall. We climbed up some stairs to a terrace.

Chained to a stone pillar was this bearded man.

Crossing over some spikes, I walked up to the chained man.

"Masarl?" I asked. "Is that you?"

Suddenly this bright fog enveloped the room, like it did in my first encounter with Mudo.

I saw a vision of Masarl being led to the guilottine in that prison we had just liberated. He was placed in the guillotine, and the blade was raised, prepared to chop off his head. The blade then strikes, severing the man';s head and causing bright arterial blood to spurt out.

Then the image shifted. There was this granite titan and this olive-skinned troll.

"You will pledge your loyalty to the Dai Maou," said the granite titan. "Or this will be real."

I then found myself back in the dungeon.

"They're attacking his mind," said Chamoro. "They're threatening to execute his brother if he refuses to serve Deathtamoor."

"If we go back for Krimut," said Terry, "we should be able to help Masarl."

And so we did.

ooooooooooooooo

"So they're threatening to kill me if Masarl doesn't bow before Deathtamoor?" asked Krimut, who was feeling much better now.

"That's pretty much it," I said.

"I need to see him. Take me to Sorrow Prison."

And so we did.

oooooooooooooo

We brogutn Krimut to Sorrow Prison. He immediately looked at Masarl, still chained to the stone pillar.

The glowing fog appeared, and we were once again greeted to the image of Krimut being led to the guillotine.

"Pledge your loyalty to Daimaou Deathtamoor," said one of the demons. "Or your brother shall die!"

"Brother, wait!" yelled Krimut. "It's me, Krimut. I was rescued. Their threat is empty."

"What?" yelled the granite titan, looking at us. "Shoukaku, these humans dare interfere."

"They rescued the sage!" yelled the olive-skinned troll. "Zuikaku, our plan is defeated."

"Not yet. If we destroy their rescuers, the sages will be at our mercy."

"you always think of a plan, don't you, Zuikaku."

"All right, people," I said. "This is for real."

I began by casting Sap on the troll Shoukaku. Muriel cast Increase to raise our defense.

"I'll take the granite titan," I said. "Hassan, you keep the troll busy. Muriel, Chamoro back us up."

I then engaged the granite titan Zuikaku even as he tried to pummel me with his powerful, stony fists. I had to use my reflex and dexterity to avoid the worst of the blows; the glancing blows hurt bad enough. Not to mention that his skin was rock-hard, I could barely chip him with the Sword of Ramias. He was almost as durable as those metal babbles. We went around and around as he blocked by sword swings with his stony forearm.

He managed to kick me with his foot, and I was kicked back a couple of feet. I could see that the others were hurt, so I performed the Hustle Dance to heal us all. We then continued the battle, striking at each other and occasionally landing blows.

After parrying a few of Zuikaku's blows, I retreated a few feet.

"The troll's down," said Hassan. I glanced and saw Shoukaku lying on his back. I then turned my attention to Zuikaku, just as he swung his arm. I quickly dodged and slashed him with the Sword of Ramias.

Hassan and I then continued to fight the beast while Chamoro and Muriel cast spells to support us. Zuikaku showed the same adeptness that we did in handling multiple opponents. We continued our furious fighting.

I glanced over at Hassan. I then sidestepped around Zuikaku, getting his attention.

I struck with my Sword of Ramias, which he parried with his massive forearm. Hassan delivered a mighty Spirit Punch right into the titan's jaw.

Zuikaku fell, and did not get up.

"Looks like they're down," said Chamoro.

The fog disappeared.

"Masarl!" yelled Krimut, going to his brother. We assisted in undoing the steel chains. "Are you all right?"

"Krimut," said Masarl. "You're alive."

"Thank these people," said Krimut. "They came to Deathtamoor's realm to defeat the Dai Maou."

"Thank you," said Masarl. "Deathtamoor kept us apart because together, we have great power."

"So you can come with us to deal with Deathtamoor?" asked Terry.

"Unfortunately, we are not that powerful. But you all are. You have gone through a lot. It is clear that the six of you are the only ones who can take down the Dai Maou."

"No one else is gonna do it," I said.

"We are currently below the dai maou's castle," said Masarl.

"We will combine our powers," said Krimut.

The two sages started chanting.

I suddenly felt the floor shake. I leaned against the wall.

Suddenly, the stone pillar fell, leaving behind this glowing hole.

Despite the shaking of the ground, I made my way out of Sorrow Prison.

I looked towards the tall mountain where Deathtamoor's castle sits upon.

A beam iof light emerged from Sorrow Prison, striking at the mountain. The mountain seemed to glow.

And it appeared to collapse. The castle fell to the ground with such force that I was knocked onto my back.

I then returned to the prison where the others were.

"We've done our part," said Krimut. "This portal on the floor will take you to the shrine leading to Zenithia, if you have need to go there."

"Surely the Dai Maou's castle took some damage," said Masarl. "Now it is the time for the final assault. The six of you formed bonds of friendship through your journey through the real world and the dream world. I am confident you can put an end to the threat of Deathtamoor."

"We won't let you down," I said. "We won't let the world down."

So we then set off to take the fight to Deathtamoor himself. 


	36. The Dai Maou's Castle

I sat in the wagon as we approached the huge stone castle. The fact that it was still standing was a testament to its resilience; I doubted Reidock Castle could survive such a fall. Still, there must be some damage to the castle.

We had set off for the castle after doing some errands in the real world. Of course, the castle's guards would be on alert; a castle falling due to the collapse of the mountain it sat on has a tendency to do just that.

As we climbed the stairs to the front door, three giant dragons wielding axes approached us to give us a proper welcome. They looked similar to that beast Terry had fought. As they breathed their flames on us and swung with their axes, I used the GigaSlash skill to slash all of these dragons, and the others followed with their attacks. Soon these three were beaten.

"You have gotten strong," said Terry.

We entered into the castle itself, wagon and all.

Entering the front lobby, we were greeted by a bunch if metal slimes.

I struck at them with the Sword of Ramias; their metallic construction resisted my blade. A few of them ran away.

But then one of the metal slimes made this screech, and other metal slimes arrived. They seemed to melt together.

and then there was this giant metal slime wearing a crown. That metal slime was very resilient.

"That's like a metal king slime," said Muriel.

"We know a skill to deal with these beasts," said Hassan.

He sliced at the metal king slime with his Sword of Miracles, and I heard this cutting sound. Terry joined in. Barbara stabbed at the metal king slime with a poison needle.

Soon, the metal king slime melted into liquid metal.

"So much for the metal king slime," said Chamoro.

"The MetalCut rocks," said Hassan.

We went upstairs to the second floor. We could see arrow tiles circling the room.

"Looks like there's no other way," said Barbara.

And so Falshion pulled the wagon onto one of the tiles and we slid around, ending up in the floor surrounded by the tiles. In the center of the tile-bordered area was a floor switch. I stepped on the floor switch, and the arrow tiles deactivated. We then continued on, to an area where the arrow tiles made a path around the room, going over gaps in the floor.

"If we step on the wrong tile," said Terry, "we could fall to the floor below."

I looked at the arrow tiles, and then guided the wagon to one of them. We slid a bit, just right next to the pit. We then went onto another arrow tile, and the tiles whisked us to the back of the huge room. We stepped on another tile and it led us to this room with stairs going up. The stairs led to this small room with a glowing circle.

I got off the wagon and stepped into the circle. I suddenly felt energized.

"This must be where Deathtamoor's guards and staff revitalize themselves," I said.

"Nice for Deathtamoor to provide that for us," said Hassan.

"Maybe we should give him a thank-you note before killing him," said Muriel.

We went downstairs and used the arrow tiles to end up in the corner of the huge room. Climbing the stairs, we ended up on some stone platforms. A glowing fog, probably of the sdame nature as that which surrounded Deathtamoor's realm, obscured our downward view.

"Where do we go?" asked Barbara. "There doesn't seem to be a way."

"Look," I said. There were these boards at the edges of the stone platforms. Guiding Falshion to pull the wagon to one of the boards, we were sprung into the air, landing on another stone platform.

"Awesome," said Chamoro.

"That's why I'm the leader," I said.

We navitgated around this area using the boards to hop along different platforms. We soon ended up at this platform with a stariwell leading to its interior.

the interior of the platform was a bare room with a tile that had two arrows pointing in opposite directions. I knew what to do.

Stepping on the tile, I felt a jolt. The platform must be moving somewhere. I then felt another jolt.

Going up, we could see another platform not far away. Using the board to jumpothere, we soon reached a stairs going up.

We crossed a short corridor and entered a door.

We then found ourselves in this huge room with doors that seemed to go nowhere.

"We'd better choose a door," said Terry.

We went through the first door we came across.

And we ended up back where we started.

"Deathtamoor sure goes out of his way to keep out trespassers," said Hassan.

It was then that three guards came to greet us. Two of them resembled Duran, and the remaining guard resembled Mudo.

I used the GigaSlash skill against the Duran clone. Hassan and Terry used SwordLine, slicing at them repeatedly. Barbara and Chamor cast the spell Explodet. Muriel spit out a fireball at the Mudo clone.

I hacked down one of the demons that looked like Duran, and his counterpart cast a spell. The demon was on his feet again.

"He has the Revive spell," said Barbara.

"It's gonna be a lot tougher than I thought," I said.

Indeed, these guards could cast powerful attack magic or strike with their claws and blades. After one of them sliced at me repeatedly with the SwordLibne skill, I entered into a quiet meditation to recover my health. I noticed Hassan delivering a Spirit Punch while Chamoro cast SnowStorm.

It took a lot of effort, but we managed to deal with these enemies.

"Now to find our which door to take," I said.

We used a different doors, all of which led back to the same place.

"We're like rats in a maze or something," said Chamoro.

I then came across this treasure chest. Opening it, there was a book titled "Book of Dragons".

Falshion pulled the wagon through the door nearby, and we found ourselves surrounded by the glowing fog.

"Can't see anything," said Terry, peering out of the wagon.

"Must be some sort of defense system," said Hassan. "Deathtamoor activated it after his castle fell from the mountain."

I heard thunder, and the walls revealed themselves briefly before disappearing. As we wandered the castle, we came across monsters like giant turtles and winged bipedal demons and jesters armed with blades and these metal king slimes who had a tendency of running away. Navigating our way around this maze was extremely difficult.

"Look over therte," said Muriel. "A treasure chest."

The treasure chest remained visible, unlike the walls. I cast Identify and the chest glowed blue. Opening the chest, there was this shiny sword.

"It's a Metal King Sword," I said, casting Identify. I gave the Metal King Sword to Hassan.

"Thanks," he replied.

Hassan made good use of the Metal King Sword as we fought the monsters while wandering through this maze.

I then saw a wooden door.

"Did we just get back to where we came from?" asked Barbara.

"Only one way to find out," I replied. Opening the door, Falshion pulled the wagon through.

We the crossed this raised platform at the top of the castle. I could see the land for miles around. Pretty soon we came up to this well-ornamented door with strange patterns carved on it.

"Ready, people?" I asked. "If anyone wishes to turn back, now is the time."

"We're with you," said Chamoro.

"No way we're gonna turn back," said Terry.

I opened the door and Falshion pulled the wagon through.

"What sort of place is this?" asked Hassan.

I looked around. There were these rocks floatiung around. In the distance was this huge rock on top which sat a stone platform. Falshion pulled the wagon towards there. From the sound of his hooves I could tell that even he was on edge.

I stood on top of the platform.

"Deathtamoor!" I yelled. "Show yourself!"

"Ho ho ho," said this voice.

This pink demon who roughly resembled an elderly man appeared in front of me. He wore this purple cape.

"So, you have come this far," he said. "Pesky humans. you will make a great sacrifice to me."

These two orbs appeared. We were ready to do battle.

I raised up the Sword of Ramias, Chamoro cast Barrier, Muriel cast Increase, Barbara cast Bikill, Hassan delivered a MetalCut, and Terry attacked.

The demon threw two orbs at us, and one of them struck me. It hurt quite a bit. Then he threw a fireball at us. I had to do a Hustle Dance while Chamoro cast Healus just to recover.

Drawing the Sword of Ramias, I prepared myself to do another round of fighting with this demon, who was obviously quite adept of handling four opponents at a time. He had a whole slew of powerful attacks, such as shooting us with a flame orb or striking us with an ice spear. We had to heal each round, and the wounded went back into the wagon for cover.

The battle continued for quite a while, as I tried to avoid his powerful attacks while looking for an opening to strike him down. I had to keep myself at least three steps ahead of this guy. If it were not for my armor and shield and helm, I would be dead three times over.

We then made a tactical retreat.

"We can't just take this guy straight on," said Hassan.

"There must be a plan," said Muriel.

"He's just too powerful," said Barbara.

He then came after us, casting all sorts of spells.

I calmed myself, waiting for the right moment to strike. I remembered what Franco said to me, rage is a tool for me; I am not a tool for rage.

He then threw two orbs at us. I hopped along the rocks floating in this room. One of the orbs barely missed my helmeted head.

I then closed in on him, and before he could parry, I did a Swordline skill, slahsing at him repeatedly with the Sword of Ramias.

And then he fell.

"All right!" yelled Chamoro. "We did it!"

"Way to go!" shouted Terry.

"It's finally over," said Hassan.

"Thank God," said Muriel.

"You might have defeated an old man," asked a voice.

We all looked around, wondering where that voice was coming from.

"But can you defeat me?"

The two orbs that had been thrown against us merged together and warped.

And suddenly this huge, pink demon appeared, with two muscular arms, two muscular legs, and two huge wings. Long clawsprotruded from his hands and feet, and spikes sprung from his body.

"Deathtamoor!" I yelled.

"That's right," replied the demon.

Without warning, he charged at me and knocked me against one of the floating rocks. It hurt a lot!

"Foolish weaklings!" Deathtamoor yelled.

I got up, raising the Sword of Ramias to raise my attack power. Chamoro cast Increase, while Barbara cast Barrier.

We then engaged the Dai Maou in battle. Deathtamoor, for the most part, used powerful physical attacks which hurt. I attacked him with the GigaSlash skill, which generated this blade of light that could cut through anything. Hassan delivered powered up, Spirit Punches which knocked Deathtamoor back. Chamoro and Barbara cast Healus to heal us from wounds inflicted by Deathtamoor's powerful attacks. Muriel spit fireballs which burned the Dai Maou, and Terry used the Metal Cut skill with his sword.

Deathtamoor then cast the spell Bikill, following up with a poweful uppercut on Hassan. I immediately countered by emitting freezing waves to cancel out the spell. We then continued the battle, as we tried to avoid Deathtamoor's powerful blows while using our spells and skills to land a couple of blows against this powerful brute. Occasionally he would cast Upper, which I had to use freezing waves to dispel. 

I glanced, and saw that Terry was down. Barbara ran over to him to cast Revive.

Just as Deathtamoor was about to strike her down with his meaty left hand, I parried with the Shield of Sufida, absorbing the powerful blow. I then jumped just to avoid a tail swipe, landing my feet on one of the floating rocks.

I then went back to engage Deathtamoor. Everything seemed to be happening fast and slow simultanously, as paradoxical as it may sound. It was a matter of using my shield, fancy footwork, the GigaSlash, as well as the Hustle Dance to heal everyone.

After what seemed to be a long time, Deathtamoor made a retreat.

"Ha ha ha!" he laughed. "I was just playing with you."

"Playing?" I asked. My body was still aching all over from his brutal blows.

"Let me shed this useless body!"

He let out this inhuman scream. We could all feel that he was getting stronger.

I focused myself for the battle ahead. 


	37. Endgame

I looked on as Deathtamoor transformed, raising his arms high into the air. His body glistened with sweat even as the rocks flew about.

I noticed his body seemed to be shrinking. His biody was literally melting away!

His head and hands tore free from his melting body. He yelled out this scream which came from his free-floating head.

"Now you die!" he yelled.

His right hand struck me with a claw, and it HURT. Blood trickled from the corner of my lip. He thenbreathed out a violent blaze, and it really burned us. He was definitely more powerful now. Chamoro cast Healus to heal some of the burn damage. I used the Sword of Ramias to double Hassan's attack power , Muriel cast Increase and Barbara cast Barrier.

After a round of dodging the worst of his attacks, Hassan was ready to deliver a powered-up Spirit Punch. Deathtamoor had a gleam in his eye, and Hassan fell asleep! Cursing him, I struck him with a GigaSlash and we continued to battle furiously.

My heart and breathing raced as it never raced before as I enegaged the Dai Maou in battle, doing my best to avoid his powerful attacks. We went all around this strange room as we tried to kill each other.

One of his hands then smacked me against a rock.

"Fools!" he yelled. "You can never win!"

"We won't give up!" I yelled.

Terry then threw a whole bunch of rocks at Deathtamoor, and Hassan, who had woken up, struck Deathtamoor's head with the Metal King Sword. We then continued the engagement with Deathtamoor, slicing and pounding and shucking and jiving. All the while, Chamoro cast Healus, replenishing our vigor. Even so, I could feel the exhaustion coming in. Nevertheless, I had to press on.

I had a kingdom, a whole world to fight for.

And so I pressed on, giving it my all, striking the head with GigaSlash or performing Hustle Dance to heal my partners. As we fought Deathtamoor, he was retreating back.

"Press forward!" yelled Hassan. "We can not fail!"

And so we did. We continued to engage Deathtamoor, and he seemed to be pulling back.

He then opened his mouth real wide, and I felt this really strong wind tearing right at me.

I fell down. Getting up and looking around, I could see that the others have fallen, and they are not getting up.

"Come on!" I yelled. "We can't just give up!"

"It looks like your time has just run out," said Deathtamoor, wickedly grinning.

I looked at my teammates.

There was one thing I must do.

I started dancing the GiveLife Dance. I danced as much as I can even as Deathtamoor closed in on me.

I then saw Hassan, Muriel, Barbara, Chamoro, and Terry all rise up.

And then I collpased from exhaustion.

The next thing I knew, Chamoro was standing above me; apparently he cast Revive to continue the fight.

I raised the Sword of Ramias to double Hassan's incredible attack power, and then I prepared to deal with Deathtamoor. The fight continued on in earnest. We fought the Dai Maou with renewed vigor.

We did not press forward. Instead, we retreated even as we delivereds powerful blows or spells against Deathtamoor.

"You can not beat me even with your ability to revive," he said.

I continued the fight, giving him ground, or its equivalent here in this space.

As the fight continued, I could feel exhaustion creeping in. I noticed the spellcasting had stopped; we all expended our magical power. I could no longer do the GigaSlash.

And yet I had to keep going, even if it was a simple sword thrust.

I kept parrying his blows while striking at him.

And then the Sword of Ramias felt like a lead weight. I was short of breatrh, clearly exhausted.

Deathtamoor then came after me.

I heard this crack, and I saw him stung by a Gringham Whip.

There was this expression on his face, an expression of pain.

"Urrrgh!" he grunted. "To...to think I could be defeated by these insects! My..consciousness is fading. My world is falling apart. Argggggh!"

Deathtamoor lierally melted away. I looked at Barbara, who was grinning despite her obvious pain.

"We did it," she said.

"All right!" yelled Hassan, clutching his side.

Then I heard the rumbling and felt myself shake.

"Can you hear me?" asked this voice. "It's me, Masarl!"

"What's up?" I asked.

"Get out of there!" he yelled. "I don;t know why but this world is falling apart!"

"We beat Deathtamoor!" I yelled.

"You did? That must be it. Go! We'll save the people living in his realm! You should be able to get out on your own. Ready, Krimut?"

"Yes, brother," replied Krimut.

We all got into the wagon.

"How do we get out of here?" asked Muriel.

Falshion glowed, and then he sprouted wings. His wings flapped and the wagon took off! We flew through the room, and through the glowing fog. The fog got brighter.

And then I saw a clear blue sky.

"Where are we?" asked Chamoro.

"Look!" yelled Terry.

I looked at the ground which was thousands of feet below. I could clearly see Zenithia Castle.

"It's over," I said, relieved.

oooooooooooo

We went back to the throne room of Zenithia Castle; I explained the situation to King Zenith. Masarl and KLrimut were already there.

"Well done, your Highness!" said the king. "Deathtamoor's realm has vanished. These two saved the people trapped there. The threat of Deathtamoor is gone. Without you, he would have conquered the dream world and the real world. As King of Zenithia, I thnak you on behalf of the people of the dream world"

"Thankl you, your Majesty," I said.

"We are grateful to you and your retainers. But you do not belong here. The Dai Maou's power made this world tangible to the real world. We will vanish from your point of view. Do not worry, this is as it should be."

"By your leave, sire," I said.

"I should go now," said Terry. "I'm not good at this."

"Hey wait!" yelled Muriel. "You don't have to hurry."

Terry was already gone from the room, on his way back to the wagon.

"He's such a child," she said. "I'll go back to the wagon." She quickly bowed to King Zenith. "Your Majesty."

"If the Dai Maou had not tried to take over the dream world, we would not have met," said King Zenith. "Such is fate. His power starts to fade, we will not be visible."

"I had no idea this castle existed," said Masarl.

"We'll stay a little longer," said Krimut. "We thank you for rescuing us from the Dai Maou."

On my way out of the castle, I came across the man who was watching the egg.

"This is our future," he said.

"We wish you well," I said.

oooooooooooooo

We then headed to the dream world incarnation of Reidock Castle. Hassan and I were admitted, since we were soldiers in this Reidock's army.

"Hello there," said a soldier. "General Soldi awaits you in the throne room."

So we went there. We stood and saluted him.

"So what happened?" asked Soldi. "The sages saved me and everyone else, and I returned here."

"We defeated Deathamoor, sir," I said.

"You would not believe how difficult it was, sir," said Hassan.

"I thank you for helping us out. I know you can not stay here, so you will be honorably discharged."

"Yes, sir," I replied.

"The king is not asvailable, so he left this note."

I read the note.

"I am glad you are okay," it read. "I'll be waiting for you below, so make sure to show your faces when you get back - the King of Reidock."

As we were leaving the castle, I said, "You know, without Deathtamoor, Tom would not have been reincarnated as Soldi."

"Life does have some surprises," said Hassan.

oooooooooooo

We then went back to Calberona.

"Well done, Barbara," said Mr. Calbe. "You saved us from the Dai Maou Deathtamoor."

"Someone had to do it," said Barbara.

"You have enough power to be called a great sorceress. The elder would have been very happy."

"I can not act as elder any more," said this old lady who had filled in for Bubole.

"So you want me to be elder?" asked Barbara.

"Oh no," replied Calbe. "You are much too young, too inexperienced. Being an elder requires wisdom as well as power."

"Of course," said Barbara.

"I will study under King Zenith. I may learn hidden magics."

"I'll think about it a little longer. I want to decide what to do on my own."

"That is a good idea."

"I don't understand myself, really. We'd better go now."

oooooooooooooooo

We then flew north to Lifecod. It was bustling as ever.

"You came back," said a man. "Come with me."

We then went to the Elder's residence.

"Is this because of you?" I asked.

"Yes, sir," I replied.

"All the monsters disappeared. All thanks to you. you and your friends all did great. Come, let us drink!"

And so we did. We went to the tavern which was managed by Rand's dad. We all talked about your adventures and stuff, and the people of Lifecod talked about what they did. I wondered how much of it was what they did in the real world and how much of it was what they aspired to do."

"You know," said Judy. "I wish I could have married you."

"Not too late for that," I said, leaning back. "I could be your prince in shining armor, you know."

"That Spirit Festival," said this priest. "I knew something would happen." He yawned. "I feel sleepy. Must be from the drink."

I knew the reason why he felt sleepy.

I walked over to Tania's house. Rand was waiting outside.

"The monsters are gone, but Tania feels lonely," he said. "I'll wait until the day Tania opens her heart to me."

"Keep your options open," I said.

I then entered the house.

"Brother," said Tania. "I must thank you for what you did."

"You are welcome," I said.

"Promise you won't forget about me."

"Of course I won't. You gave me shelter when I was lost and broken. You treated me as a brother."

"I understand a little what's going on. I suddenly feel sleepy. Goodbye. I...love you."

She lay down on the bed. Her color started to fade and she started to blur, until she was a ghostly figure.

The Dai Maou's leftover power was fading.

I left the housde, and all I saw were faded, blurry images.

"We'd better go now," said Hassan.

And so we did. Falshion took us high into the sky, and then through the dimensional barrier to the real world.

ooooooooooooooo

We touched down just outside Granmaz's place. Muriel, Terry, and I went outside.

"I'm back," said Muriel, greeting the fortune teller. "Terry is with me, too."

"it is good to have you back," said Granmaz. "And the same goes with you, Terry. I have been watching you."

"Madam," said Terry.

"To think you would defeat Deathtamoor," said the fortune teller. Dreams give birth to hope, hope gives one the power to live. But dreams can give birth to greed, and he was engulfed by his own greed. You all fought well."

"I would like to continue studying under you, Granmaz," said Muriel. "I want to use my ability to read dreams and tell fortunes to help others."

"That was why I asked you to accompany the prince and his companions," said Granmaz. "One must gain wisdom from the world before they can continue in this business."

"Thank you," said Muriel.

"No need to thank me. I shall treat you all to a big feast."

"We would like that, madam," I said.

And so we did. oooooooooooo

We then went to San Marino to drop of Hassan at his home. His parents were both inside the house.

"Hi there," he said. "I'm back."

"Honey," said his mother. "Hassan's back."

"Yeah, I know," said his father, looking away.

"Mom, Dad," said Hassan. "Sorry for making you worry like that."

"Hassan, why are you smiling like you finished some sort of normal job. You could be an engineer!"

"That's right," Hassan said to us all. "I will continue my career as a carpenter. As long as there is strength in my arms, I will be the best carpenter I could be."

"I wiah you luck," I said.

"Listen, buddy. It was great hangin' with you. We got to learn a lot of stuff. But we got to move on, you know."

"Of course."

"We'll meet again," said Chamoro.

"You all take care."

And so we left.

ooooooooooooooo

We then flew to Gent. Chamoro and I went to his grandfather's house.

"Is Grandfather here?" Chamoro asked this man.

"No," he replied. "The Ship of God came back, and he went to check it out."

"He must be in the shrine then."

So we went there. The Ship of God was back in its dock.

"I have returned, Grandfather," said Chamoro.

"Well done," said his grandfather. "You have certainly matured."

"How did the ship come back here?"

"It came back on its own when the job was done. You and your friends saved us, both the healers and those to be healed. Our God is certainly pleased."

"Now that the threat of Dethtamoor is dealt with, I will stay here to learn to heal people," said Chamoro. "If you get injured, we will help."

"Our God will certainly bless you," said his grandfather.

"Take care," I said. "Both of you."

And so I left Gent.

ooooooooooooooo

We flew to Gandino. Muriel and Terry went to this stone house in the southeast section of the city.

"is it really you, Muriel and Terry?" asked this old man.

"Yes, Father," replied Muriel.

"You call me Father, even after I sold you?"

"You did raise us. We turned out the way we did because of you."

"Oh Muriel," said her father.

"I want to study to be a fortune teller," said Muriel. "My teacher will be Granmaz, who lives near San Marino."

"It's enough to see you both alive. It's enough for me."

"We'd like to speak to our parents alone," said Muriel.

"You take care," I said.

oooooooooooooooo

We then flew to Lifecod.

When Barbara and I got there, the town is empty.

"Where is everyone?" she asked.

We went to the Elder's house.

"So you've come back," said the Elder. "You did save the world, my lord. Have you been tio the castle yet?"

"No," I said.

"They are holding a festival there. Everyone went."

"And what about you?"

"I don't fit in around castles. I'll just stay and protect the village. Everyone awaits your return, your Highness."

"Take care. I thank you for your hospitality."

ooooooooooooo

We then returned to Reidock Castle. I went straight to the throne room to see Mother and Father. It was a happy reunion.

"Welcome, my son," said Father. "The Dai Maou was destroyed by your efforts."

"Yes," I said.

"Look at the clear sky! It is a sign of peace!"

"And we will maintain this peace, Father."

"You have worked hard to defend this kingdom and this world," said Mother. "Now you will return to your duties as prince."

"My experience will help me a great deal, Mother."

"By the way, it's been bugging me," said Father. "Who's that cute girl with you."

"Who me?" asked Barbara. "Are you talking about me, Majesty?"

"Never mind. But I see that my son can pick up chicks like I can. I am impressed you brought back such a babe."

"Dear," said Mother.

"We must prepare for the banquet," said Father. "Your friends are invited. Let's celebrate!"

And so we did.

oooooooooooooooo

The banquet was set in the ballroom, and all of my friends were there. The finest meat was served with delicious gravy, along with vegetables drenched in molten butter. It was much more delicious than salted fish which we ate during our journeys. Everyone was dressed in their finest clothes. I saw General Franco, decked out in his formal dress blues, with shiny brass buttons.

"Are you done, my lord?" asked a servant dressed in a black vest, white shirt, and black pants.

"Uh, yeah," I said, looking at the empty plate sitting on the cloth-covered wooden table.

"Let me take that, sire." The servant removed the plate even as I sipped some fine wine.

And then the band played and everyone started dancing.

"Why don't you dance too?" asked Father. "That Barbara girl really suits you."

I looked around. Barbara was not in the ballroom.

"If you want to see the future," said Muriel. "Come see me."

"I suck at dancing," said Chamoro. "I keep getting my feet tangled."

"So you were the prince," said Rand. "But even so, I can't let you have Tania."

"I understand," I said.

"Brother," said Tania. "Or should I call you Prince?"

"Yes," I said.

"Thank you for what you've done."

"You take care," I said to the lady whom I lived with for a month.

I left the ballroom and went upstairs.

"This castle could use some repairs," said Hassan. "If you need assistance, just call me. I won't charge too much."

"Definitely," I said.

"I'm not exactly a party person," said Terry. "I came here to show respect. I'll be leaving soon. Tell my big sister for me."

"Sure," I replied.

"Your Highness, I knew you would fulfill your fate in taking down Deathtamoor," said Franco. "Please protect thisd kingdom as its king."

"With your help, I shall," I vowed.

I went upstairs. Barbara was standing alone in thew throne room.

"I don;t have a physical form in the real world," she said. "I will soon be gone. I want to say goodbye. Tell the others goodbye too."

"Goodbye, Barbara," I said. "You have been a great help to us."

I gave her a hug. Her color faded away. She turned into this faded, blurry figure.

"I won't forget you."

And she disappeared from this world.

ooooooooooooooooooo

A few months later, I was talking with my parents in the throne room.

"have you thought of becoming King yet?" asked Father.

"Oh no," I said. "I must prepare myself, gain the necessary experience."

"You are wise, my son."

"I'm going to Granmaz's to meet my friends," I said.

ooooooooooooooo

I traveled to Granmaz's place southeast of San Marino.

"We will wait here, my liege," said one of the guards assigned to my security detail, for show of course. A prince has to travel with a security detail for show, even a prince that took on the Dai Maou.

A figure in blue appeared.

"Hello, Terry," I said. "How are you doing?"

"I found something in the cave near Amoru," he said. He presented this hardcover book with a picture of a babble engraved upon it. "It's titled the Book of Babbles. It has information on how to become really fast and really resistant like a metal babble."

We went inside the house. Hassan, Muriel, and Chamoro were waiting, sitting before the crystal ball.

"Let us begin," said Muriel.

"What's this about?" asked Hassan.

"Be quiet," said Chamoro.

The image in the orb became focused, and we can see three people. One of them was King Zenith, and one of them was Barbara! They all stood around this egg, which I recognized on my first trip to Zenithia.

"It's time, isn't it?' asked Barbara.

"It's gonna hatch," said the eggkeeper.

"It's finally raised," said King Zenith. "Our future."

" I wonder what it will be like, our future...Oh! It's started to hatch!" said Barbara.

And then the egg hatched, the sign of a new era. 


End file.
